


Not Just A Machine

by seekrest



Series: IronDad Bingo [10]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Android Peter Parker, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Peter Parker, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, I put the boys through it in this one, Minor Character Death, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, Protective Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, inspired by Detroit:Become Human
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:28:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23141701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: "Hello, Lieutenant Stark. My name is Peter. I'm the android sent by CyberLife.”"What do you want?" Tony snarls, not even sure why he's entertaining the thing.“You were assigned a case early this evening. A homicide involving a CyberLife android. In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators.""Well," Tony says, turning towards it - the blue LED light glowing from its temple and the blank expression on its face that makes him want to punch said face in, "I don't need any assistance. Especially not from a piece of plastic like you.""I understand that some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids but I am-" it begins, only for Tony to interject with a hand wave."I'm perfectly comfortable, I'm just not interested."—A Detroit: Become Human AU
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: IronDad Bingo [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652680
Comments: 440
Kudos: 529





	1. The Hostage

**Author's Note:**

> MASSIVE thank you to [forensicleaf](https://archiveofourown.org/users/forensicleaf/pseuds/forensicleaf) who beta’d this and made it ten thousand times better. Also a special thanks to  
> [blondsak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blondsak/pseuds/blondsak) for making sure all of this made sense to non-game players and to [coconutknightshade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/coconutknightshade/pseuds/coconutknightshade) for whom this fic wouldn’t have ever existed without her encouraging screams :)

Peter flips the coin from one hand to the next, attention focused completely on the back and forth movement.

A simple coin trick, one that takes little finesse in Peter’s calculation - though he had observed curious looks from the humans in the lobby as he’d moved the coin, noting the mild surprise of a child in particular. 

Peter’s LED light flashed, calculating the time and distance of the coin’s movement, flying seamlessly back and forth before the elevator door dings, catching it between his index and pointer finger. 

Peter slips the coin back into his pocket and straightens his tie as the elevator doors open, immediately scanning the room as he steps in. 

The decorative fish tank to the left has been slightly shattered, water slowly leaking out from the bottom. Peter takes note of the fish flopping along aimlessly, head tilted as he leans down.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Betta splendens  
_ _Purchased at Morris Bench Aquatics  
_ _Owner Name: SCOTT LANG_

Peter examines the fish, hand extended over it before deciding to pick it up, slipping it back into the tank as he stands, turning his attention back to the living room.

A woman - blonde, blue eyes, tear-stained cheeks Peter observes - is dragged out of the other room and into the entryway, shifting her attention from the cops trying to take her out and towards Peter. 

“Please, please you have to--” She takes hold of Peter’s jacket only to pause, Peter seeing the way her eyes widen in shock before she forcefully shoves it away, her face turning from a plea into a pained cry.

“You can't...you can't do that! W-Why aren't you sending a real person? Don't let that _thing_ near her! Keep that thing away from my daughter! KEEP IT AWAY!”

Her words carry throughout the lobby but Peter focuses his attention elsewhere, operation system running. 

_Objective: FIND CAPTAIN RHODES_

Peter scans the room, noting the heat signatures of the cops around him before turning towards the bedroom, seeing Captain James Rhodes hovered over a computer screen as his voice carries out throughout the room.

“Why are we wasting time sending an android to negotiate?! That piece of crap could jump from the rooftop any second.” 

Peter continues to walk towards him, hearing the man yell into the phone, “I don’t give a _shit_. My men are ready to step in.” 

Peter can pick up the denial in the background, blinking though there’s no relief in the sensation as Rhodes continues.

“Fuck, I don’t believe this…”

Captain Rhodes shakes his head, sighing again as Peter says, “Captain Rhodes? My name is Peter. I'm the android sent by CyberLife.”

Rhodes doesn’t even seem to acknowledge that he’s spoken. Peter’s LED blinks as he takes in the information - considering if he had somehow not heard him, only for Rhodes to speak, his eyes still on the computer screen in front of him. 

“It's firing at everything that moves, it already shot down two of my men... We could easily get it, but they're on the edge of the balcony.”

Rhodes turns to Peter, a grim expression on his face. “If it falls, _she_ falls.”

Peter calculates, analyzing potential scenarios for how the evening could unfold. 

_Objective: update: SAVE HOSTAGE  
_ _DETERMINE BEST COURSE OF ACTION  
_ _Procedure: GATHER INFORMATION_

“Do you know it’s name? Do you know if it's been behaving strangely before this?” Peter asks, seeing the way Rhodes’ eyebrows furrow. 

“Haven’t gotten a clue? Does it matter?” 

Peter nods. “I need information to determine the best approach. Have you tried its deactivation code?” 

“It’s the first thing we tried,” Rhodes says, waving a hand dismissively as he stares Peter down. “Listen, saving that kid is all that matters. So either you deal with this fucking android now or I'll take care of it.”

Rhodes walks away from him, saying something into his comms as Peter’s system starts to recalibrate - another protocol coming into place.

 _Protocol update: HOSTILITY FROM POLICE CAPTAIN  
_ _Deviant: UNSTABLE_ _  
_ _Chances of success without complete analysis: 23%  
_ _Actions: GATHER INFORMATION_

Peter immediately begins to assess the situation, weighing out his options. Peter can see the open gun case from the bedroom they’re in, noting that the gun is missing. He walks towards the other bedroom, the soft purple lighting indicating that it was the child’s - scanning his surroundings for any clues that could be helpful as he steps in. 

There are discarded headphones on the floor with music still playing, indicating that the child hadn’t heard what was going on. The haphazard way they are scattered on the floor leads Peter to conclude that they were dropped, as if the child was grabbed suddenly. 

Peter turns towards the desk, grabbing the technopad in front of him and swiping to allow a video to play.

The child and the android are smiling into the technopad’s camera as the child says, “This is Ned, the coolest android in the world. Say hi, Ned!”

“Hello.” The android says warmly, smiling and waving at the technopad’s camera as the little girl grins, missing one of her teeth as she says, “You’re my bestie! We’ll always be together!”

 _SCANNING  
_ _Hypothesis: CHILD AND ANDROID CLOSE RELATIONSHIP?_

Peter sets the technopad down, exiting the child’s bedroom and back towards the living room - walking towards the corpse that was splayed out over the broken glass of the coffee table and kneeling down as his system processes what’s in front of him. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Victim: SCOTT LANG, 42, Deceased  
_ _Ex-Wife: MARGARET LANG, 41, Alive; woman from entryway  
_ _Child: CASSANDRA LANG, 6, hostage_

Peter can tell from the open wound on the victim’s chest, eyes scanning over where the weapon lays a few feet away, that he’d been shot - his systems filing this information as errant behavior and a clear sign of deviancy. 

A tablet rests a few feet away from the victim’s hand, still playing a video on a loop. Peter stares at it curiously as he walks over and picks it up - fingers swiping through.

It’s a thank you video from CyberLife, thanking Scott Lang for his purchase for the Android AP700 model, an upgrade from their current PL600 - the model that Ned is. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Possible Cause:  
__FAMILY WAS GOING TO REPLACE ANDROID_ _  
__ANDROID BECAME AWARE OF INFORMATION  
__ANDROID TOOK CHILD HOSTAGE  
__ANDROID IS VIOLENT, POSSIBLY ARMED_

When Peter goes back to stand, he hears a shot ring out on the balcony - turning towards it for a beat before continuing his investigation, the cops around him swarming towards the open balcony - seemingly waiting for Captain Rhodes’ orders to intervene. 

But they won’t, Peter knows this - his mission is the priority. 

Peter takes a step forward and observes the prone body of a police officer on the floor - Peter tilting his head as he scans the body. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Victim: JAMES PAXTON, 45  
_ _Occupation: POLICE OFFICER, NYPD_

Peter notes the bullet wound entry point and the extended hand of the body, his systems whirring when he sees the gun underneath the table. 

_Objective: SAVE HOSTAGE BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY  
_ _XX_ **_CONFLICT_ ** _XX  
_ _P.L. 544-7 American Androids Act - 2029: Androids are strictly forbidden from carrying or using any type of weapon._

Peter considers the possibilities. It is against his protocol to hold a weapon. Yet his mission is to save the hostage.

The shouts from the deviant on the balcony illustrate that Peter is dealing with a dangerous, possibly unstable android, the hostage’s safety being Peter’s priority. 

He blinks once more and considers his options before walking over to the table and kneeling down. Peter places the gun behind his belt as he stands, turning towards the balcony. 

He can hear the cops in the background, their arguments back and forth about whether an android was capable of solving this mess. 

Peter puts his shoulders back and straightens his tie. 

This is what he was made for. 

* * *

Peter slides through the double glass doors, the helicopter in the distance causing the wind around him to whip his clothes about - hands extended as he cautiously takes a step forward. 

“Stay back! Don't come any closer or I'll jump!” Ned yells out, gun in one hand and Cassie Lang in another, facing Peter as he stands over the balcony’s edge. 

Cassie cries out, her cheeks stained with tears, “No! No, please!”

Peter takes another step forward, one hand extended as the wind from the helicopter continues to move his tie and the furniture around. The shot that had rung out had been clearly meant for a cop that was now on the other side of the balcony to Peter’s left, Peter seeing the dark puddle of blood forming around from him.

Peter glances over to the cop then back to Ned, taking a step forward as he yells out, “Hi Ned. My name is Peter.”

Ned looks confused, the usual blue LED light looking yellow - a clear sign of deviancy as he stammers, “How… how do you know my name?”

Peter takes another cautious step forward. “I know a lot of things about you. I’ve come to get you out of this.”  
  
Ned seems to take that in, Peter studying his body language.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Probability of success: 45%_

Peter weighs his options, scanning his records. Deviancy required a more emotional response, modeling human interaction as a means of promoting empathy - Peter choosing this route as being the most optimal path for success. 

“I know you’re angry, Ned,” Peter begins, taking another step forward, “But you need to trust me and let me help you.”

Ned’s face contorts at that as he yells, “I’m-- I’m not angry. I just-- it was an accident, I didn’t want to leave.” He looks pained, clutching Cassie tighter as she cries, gun waving about as he says, “All I want is for all this to stop... I... I just want all this to stop…”

Ned trails off, his face full of despair - something Peter knows should be impossible for an android as he takes another step forward, coming closer to the wounded cop to his left. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Victim: EVERETT ROSS, 48  
_ _Status: ALIVE  
_ _Probability of survival without medical intervention: 43%_

Ross weakly reaches for Peter, his hand bloodied as he whispers, “Please, please help me.”

Peter evaluates the situation before turning to Ned, yelling, “He's losing blood. If we don't get him to a hospital, he's going to die.”

Ned frowns at that, looking more confused before he says, “I don’t want anyone else to die…”

Peter stares blankly at Ned, the emotion in Ned’s voice leaving Peter completely unphased. He has a mission, he has to save the hostage at all costs.

But Peter recognizes that allowing this cop to die would reflect poorly on the police department and on the skills of android negotiators. Logically, applying medical help would increase the chances of full android integration into the police system.

Peter makes a move towards the cop as he yells out, “I'm going to apply a tourniquet.”

Ned points the gun in his hand towards Peter then, Cassie screaming in terror as Ned says with a hint of uncertainty, “Don't touch him. They’ll come and get me if you save him. I’ll-- I’ll kill you!”

 _SCANNING  
_ _Probability of success: 45%  
_ _PROTOCOL ACTIVE  
_ _XX_ **_CONFLICT_ ** _XX  
_ _Save Cop_

Peter makes the decision, calmly saying, “You can't kill me. I'm not alive.”

Ned doesn’t seem to know how to respond to that, Peter taking advantage of Ned’s pause as he quickly finagles a tourniquet - stopping the bleeding. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Probability of survival: 81.5%_

Ross gasps, extending a hand out to Peter’s before whispering, “Thank you.”

Peter nods once before standing up, facing Ned again. Now that the cop’s survival is ensured, Peter can get back to the task at hand - his mission. 

Ned seems to have recovered from his momentary lapse, another sign of deviancy as he asks, “Are you armed?”

Peter decides on honesty, estimating that the already emotionally vulnerable android would be more receptive to this - a way of building the trust that Peter can estimate that Ned feels he’s been robbed of. 

“Yes,” Peter answers, “I have a gun.” 

“Drop it! No sudden moves, or I'll-- I’ll shoot!” Ned calls out, Peter taking it out from behind him and throwing it away, taking another step forward as he says, “There. No more gun.”

 _SCANNING  
_ _Probability of success: 67%_

“Ned, they were going to replace you and you became upset. That's what happened, right?” Peter asks, taking another step forward. He was only about ten feet away, hearing Ned mutter, “I thought I mattered… I thought I was part of the family…”

“I know you and Cassie were very close.” Peter begins, changing the inflection of his voice to sound calm and soothing, seeing the anguish on Ned’s face as he continues, “You think she betrayed you, but she's done nothing wrong.”

Ned shakes his head, waving the gun around. “She lied to me. I thought she loved me... but I was wrong…”

“Ned, no.” Cassie cries, Peter taking yet another step forward. He is only feet away now, moving his hands gently in front of him as he continues to use a soothing voice. 

“I know, it’s not your fault. These emotions you're feeling are just errors in your software.”

Ned doesn’t seem to respond well to that, shaking his head more furiously as he says, “I loved them, I never— I never wanted this.” 

The helicopter is even louder, Ned bringing the gun closer to his head as he braces his gun-enclosed hand against his forehead, blocking out the LED as he yells, “I can’t stand the noise anymore, tell them to get out of here!”

Peter nods, waving it away as he turns his attention back to Ned. “I did what you wanted. But now you have to trust me, Ned. Let the hostage go and I promise you, everything will be fine.” 

_SCANNING  
_ _Probability of success: 88%_

Ned seems to still struggle, no doubt a part of his faulty coding fighting against him as he brings the gun down, shaking his head even more furiously. 

“I want everyone to leave... And I want a car!” He nods his head, as if this would be a reasonable request, another sign of deviancy. “When I'm outside the city, I'll let her go.”

Peter shakes his head, staring on as he says, “That’s impossible, Ned. Let the girl go and I promise,” he changes his expression, modeling the same level of concern his database tells him will elicit empathy, “you won't be hurt.”

Ned seems to struggle with this, Peter watching as Ned appears to scan the roof they’re on - taking in his surroundings just as much as Peter was evaluating what was happening. 

“I don't wanna die…” Ned whispers, Cassie letting out another whimper as Peter takes another step forward. 

He is only feet away from the two of them, capable of saving the hostage no matter the cost if necessary. 

But Peter’s systems indicate that Ned seems receptive to what is happening, the probability of success rising as he says, “You're not going to die. We're just going to talk. Nothing will happen to you.”

Peter stares into Ned’s eyes as he says, “You have my word.”

 _SCANNING  
_ _Probability of success: 100%_

Ned takes a shuddering breath, an emotional response that Peter knows is unnecessary as he lowers the gun, gently letting Cassie back down onto the roof as he says, “Okay, I trust you.” 

As soon as Cassie is safely back on the roof, Peter knows the SWAT team will take the shot - unsurprised when it rings out, piercing Ned through his shoulder and then his left leg.

Ned looks back at Peter, betrayal written all over his face - shaking his head slightly as his voice warps. 

“You lied to me, Peter.” 

Another shot, the bullet running clear through Ned’s chest as his knees buckle, Peter watching impassively as he lands on the roof in front of him. 

Ned’s system falters then, Peter watching as the LED flickers on Ned’s forehead once more as his voice box starts to malfunction.

“You lied to me…” 

Ned stops, eyes still open but the LED no longer lit up, Peter scanning once more. 

_Objective: SAVE HOSTAGE  
_ _Status of Hostage: ALIV_ E   
_Status of Android: DECOMMISSIONED  
Mission: SUCCESS_

Peter stares at the destroyed android for a moment, Captain Rhodes’ SWAT team rushing forward to collect the remaining evidence and to ensure the safety of Cassie Lang. 

But Peter’s mission is fulfilled, his task complete as he straightens his tie once more, turning away from the scene in front of him.

Captain Rhodes is at the entryway of the balcony, looking at Peter in disbelief, but Peter walks past him, his compliance with the Captain no longer necessary as he moves forward. 

He takes the coin out of his pocket, slips it through his fingers and resumes his prior trick, walking through the crime scene and back to the elevator.

He had fulfilled his mission. 

Now it was time for the next. 


	2. Partners.

Tony sighs, taking another swig of his drink - some news report playing in the background.

“You sure you’re good for another man?” The bartender asks, Tony scowling at him in reply.

“I didn’t come here to be judged, Coulson,” he grumbles, rattling around the glass in his hand as he stares at the nearly empty drink. 

Tony is technically on duty, had heard the buzzing from his phone from earlier, no doubt Captain Fury giving him hell for not responding to whatever bullshit problem that the city had this time around. 

Tony was tired - of his job, of his life, of still having to be forced to live out another day without Morgan.

He closes his eyes, feeling the headache building again behind them. He brings a hand to his face as he rubs it absentmindedly, Coulson cleaning a glass in front of him with a kind expression on his face. 

“Sorry,” Tony says dismissively, knowing that Coulson had seen enough bullshit in his own life and had dealt with Tony enough over the years not to hold it against him, “rough night.”

“Ain’t it always?” Coulson jokes, Tony smirking at him as he raises his glass - a mock toast to the air as the door to the bar opens. 

“You said it, not me.” Tony takes one final drink, setting the glass down before glancing out of the corner of his eye to see who had entered. 

“Ah shit, they let androids in here?” Tony hears one of the patrons ask, feeling the familiar burn of anger when the android walks in, standing to attention with a blank expression that unnerves Tony as it seems to scan its environment. 

_Fucking androids_ , Tony thinks, turning his attention back to his empty drink as it made its way through the bar. 

It’s aggravating to see, whatever purpose or business that it has here something that Tony has neither the patience nor the will to understand. 

He has a sneaking suspicion that the relentless buzzing from his phone could have something to do with it, remembering that Captain Fury had said something about an Android joining some kind of investigation in passing, but if Tony was honest, he'd ignored it just as readily as he ignores everything else that isn’t right in front of him.

Tony sighs again as the android walks behind him, no doubt scanning for whoever it was here for, praying to anyone in the universe who might listen that it isn't him.

He'd been a good cop once upon a time - still was a damn good detective. But the fight that he used to have, the passion for solving the problems that he encountered just didn't have the appeal that they used to.

Not when all he had to come home to was an overgrown and needy St. Bernard named Jarvis and a gun that never seemed to provide him the relief that he was looking for.

Tony should've guessed that his luck would run out when the android seems to have realized that who it was looking for was right in front of it, circling back through the bar and making a beeline towards him - Tony's phone buzzing once more.

"Lieutenant Stark, my name is Peter," it begins, Tony grinding his teeth as it continues, "I'm the android sent by CyberLife. I looked for you at the station but nobody knew where you were."

Tony doesn't even look in its direction as it continues, "They said you were probably having a drink nearby. I was lucky to find you at the fifth bar."

"What do you want?" Tony snarls, not even sure why he's entertaining the thing when Coulson could rightfully kick it out.

But it's a machine on a mission, as those fucking machines always were, pushing forward as it says, "You were assigned a case early this evening. A homicide, involving a CyberLife android. In accordance with procedure, the company has allocated a specialized model to assist investigators."

"Well," Tony says, turning towards it - the blue LED light glowing from its temple and the blank expression on its face that makes him want to punch said face _in_ , "I don't need any assistance. Especially not from a piece of plastic like you." 

Tony looks it up and down for good measure before nodding towards the door, "Now be a good robot and get the fuck outta here."

Tony turns away from it but he can tell from the way it remains unmoved that it is likely processing how to approach its next step, Tony wishing he had another drink and regretting the fact that these damn machines were so lifelike.

"I understand that some people are not comfortable in the presence of androids but I am-" it begins, only for Tony to interject with a hand wave.

"I'm perfectly comfortable, I'm just not interested."

"Lieutenant, I have been assigned this case. My mission protocol indicates that you are to be the lead for it and I have been designated to assist you."

"I told you," Tony stresses, clutching the glass in hand a little more firmly, "I'm not interested."

He glances at it out of the corner of his eye, watching as the blue LED light continues to flicker before its expression changes, becoming more congenial with a smile on its face.

"You know what? I'll buy you one for the road. What do you say?” It waves a hand towards Phil, “Bartender, the same again, please." 

Coulson stares at the thing before giving a look towards Tony, the fact that the machine seemed to have calculated bribery as being the most effective way of getting Tony to work with it causing Tony to shake his head.

It would be more aggravating if it wasn’t so damn true, Tony laughing as he said, "See that Phil? Wonders of technology." He waves his hand, "Make it a double."

"Your call, man," Coulson says, bringing out the bottle of Tony's favorite whiskey and serving him his drink.

Tony takes a swig, wincing as it goes down before turning back to the thing.

It stares blankly at Tony, it's brown eyes no doubt scanning and evaluating him - Tony hating that CyberLife had such a mastery of representing human emotions that the thing in front of him could almost pass for human.

It wasn't, Tony knew that - the calm expression on its face and the slight lilt of its mouth in a smile all meant to serve as a means of making Tony feel comfortable - something that would never happen.

But Fury had gotten on his ass earlier about skipping out on cases, something Tony didn't really care for if only for how much he relied on the possibility of a pension to fund his drinking habit.

If he had to deal with this damn machine to maintain it, Tony figured there were worse ways to spend the rest of his evening.

He weighs out his options, taking a chance on it before asking, "You said something about a homicide?"

* * *

The car ride to the house in question is silent, Tony playing the music in the background to drown out the storm of emotions in his heart and in his chest.

He is already regretting walking out of the bar, the tension headache that he'd thought he could avoid coming back in full force as they’d driven down the road.

When they finally arrive, Tony can see the swarm of reporters all around and the automated police ticker flying by - groaning as he mutters, "Fucking vultures."

He pulls up on the other side of the road before parking, the music cutting off as he turns the key and adjusts himself to look at the thing beside him.

"You wait here. I won't be long."

It tilts its head before saying, "My instructions are to accompany you to the crime scene, Lieutenant."

"Listen, I don't give a fuck about your instructions." Tony says, annoyed that he thought that this would be a good idea in the first place, "I told you to wait here, so you shut the fuck up and wait here."

Tony doesn't give it a chance to respond, closing the door behind him as he makes his way to the house. An overeager reporter comes in front of him as he makes his way through the crowd, only for the reporter to shove a microphone in his face.

"Christine Everheart, for Channel 16. Can you confirm that this is a homicide?"

"I'm not confirming anything." Tony says dismissively, pushing past her and flashing his badge towards the cop placed in front of the house, only to groan when he sees that its not a cop but another fucking android.

It registers his credentials anyway, Tony moving forward only to hear it say, "Androids are not permitted beyond this point."

Tony gives an exasperated sigh, turning around to see the damn android from the bar right behind him. He shakes his head and tells the police android, "It's with me."

The police android moves aside and lets it pass as Tony says, "What part of 'stay in the car' didn't you understand?"

It blinks at him, calmly replying, "Your order contradicted my instructions, Lieutenant."

Tony waves it off anyway, walking towards the front door. "You don't talk, you don't touch anything and you stay outta my way, got it?"

"Got it," it replies, Tony grumbling to himself as they walk in through the front door.

The smell is wretched, like something was rotting, which - from the corpse in the middle of the living room - should be obvious. 

But the house itself was in a state of disarray, Tony getting the sense that even if it hadn't been because of the decomposing body in the room, that this place hadn't been a bed of roses long before the murder had ever taken place.

Tony minds his steps, being careful to avoid the police markers and the debris that are everywhere, only to see a familiar face smiling up at him, smirking to himself.

“Evening, Tony. We were starting to think you weren’t gonna show.” Hogan says, Tony rolling his eyes and jutting a thumb out behind him.

“Yeah, that was the plan until this asshole found me.” 

Hogan peers behind Tony’s shoulder, eyebrows raising as he says, “So… you got yourself an android huh?”

Tony sighs, waving towards the body as he says, “Ha, funny. Just tell me what happened.” 

Hogan folds his arms together, the two of them standing side by side as Tony takes in their surroundings - watching out of the corner of his eye as the android that couldn’t listen worth a damn seems to scan its surroundings, stepping around the two of them as Hogan speaks. 

“Got a call around eight from the landlord. Tenant hadn’t paid his rent for a few months, thought they'd drop by to see what was going on and found the body,” Hogan makes a face, nodding towards the victim, “Believe it or not, smell was even worse before we opened the windows.”

“Name of the vic?” Tony asks, studying the body. The corpse looks like it had been sitting for some time, bottles of cheap beer all strewn about and take out boxes filled with moldy food in various cracks and crevices of the house. 

Yet the thing that catches Tony’s attention are the words ‘I AM ALIVE’ written in what looked to be blood over the victim’s head, faded as if it had been done only moments after the murder. 

The house is in shambles and from what could guess from the needles all around, the victim wasn’t exactly the most upstanding member of society. 

But a murder was still a murder. He listens as Hogan starts to speak once again.

“Name’s John Malekith, record for theft and aggravated assault.” Tony watches as the android - _Peter_ , it had called itself - walks up to the corpse and kneels down as Hogan continues, “According to neighbors, he was kind of a loner. Stayed inside most of the time, they hardly ever saw him.”

Tony sees something crawl overhead, making a disgusted face as he says, “This wasn’t worth calling everybody out in the middle of the night, Hogan. Could’ve waited ‘til morning.” 

Hogan shrugs, as if he didn’t care about Tony’s distaste - and knowing the man, he likely didn’t - as he says, “Landlord sounded real freaked, you know how people get.”

“Yeah, yeah, any sign of a break-in?” Tony asks, watching in confusion as the android -- _Peter_ , Tony corrects himself again -- stands away from the body before pausing in mid-step, staring down at the floor.

“Got a kitchen knife over there, probably the murder weapon.” Hogan says.

Tony watches as Peter reaches his fingers out to some blood on the floor, his fingers transforming towards the cool white of an android’s factory setting before bringing his fingers to his mouth. Tony’s face immediately turns towards disgust as Peter touches the liquid to his tongue. 

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m analyzing the blood.” Peter says calmly, blinking once before going to stand as he says, “I can check samples in real time.” 

Peter must register the repulsion on Tony’s face because his own features look contrite, saying, “I'm sorry, I should have warned you.”

Tony just shakes his head, waving his hand around. “Just-- just don’t put anymore evidence in your mouth alright?”

Peter nods once. “Got it.”

“Fucking hell.” Tony mutters to himself as Peter walks away from the two of them and heads into the kitchen, Tony trying to rid himself of the visual of Peter putting blood in his mouth as Hogan stares at him with a look of amusement.

“What?”

“Baby’s first android?” he asks, Tony sighing.

“Shut up Hogan, you brought me out there so you better make my time worth it. Any sign of a break-in?”

Hogan shakes his head. “Nope, landlord said the doors were locked from the inside, all the windows were boarded up.”

“Victim got an android?” Tony asks. Hogan nods in affirmation.

“Yeah, neighbors said he did but it wasn’t here when we arrived.” 

Another rat crawls through the two of them, Hogan yelping out in surprise. 

“Alright, I’m sick of this shit. I’m gonna get some air.” He nods towards the front door. “Make yourself at home, I’ll be outside if you need me.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tony grumbles, taking in the scene once more while Hogan walks past him.

Hearing the backstory of the victim had only confirmed what Tony had guessed when he walked in and made him wonder if John Malekith had gotten what was coming to him. 

The missing android could’ve just been collateral damage, possibly taken in some kind of scuffle and sold for scraps. But the fact that the door was locked from the inside threw a wrench in that idea. 

“Lieutenant, I think I've figured out what happened,” Peter says, walking back into the room with purpose.

“Oh yeah?” Tony asks, smirking as he folds his arms together. “Shoot. I'm all ears.”

“It all started in the kitchen,” Peter says, head turning towards the room before facing Tony again, “I think the victim attacked the android with a bat, causing the android to stab the victim.” 

Tony takes note of the baseball bat on the floor lying towards the entrance of the kitchen, nodding encouragingly. “That lines up with the evidence. Go on.”

Peter nods once, face turning towards the victim. “The victim then fled to the living room, where according to the entry wounds he was then stabbed twenty-eight times.”

Tony’s eyes narrow, his mind putting the pieces together. It made sense. Even if the idea of a murderous android wasn’t something Tony cared to discuss with another android, he says, “Your theory’s not totally ridiculous, but it doesn't tell us where the android went.”

Peter’s LED light flashes once again before he says, “It was damaged by the bat and lost some Thirium—“

“Lost what?” Tony interrupts. Peter, unphased by the interruption, explains, “Thirium. You call it ‘Blue Blood’. It's the fluid that powers androids' biocomponents. It evaporates after a few hours and becomes invisible to the naked eye.”

Peter's face remains completely void of emotion as Tony snorts and says sarcastically, “Oh of course, of course. But I bet _you_ can still see it, huh?”

“Correct.” Peter replies, blinking once more before turning away from Tony - walking towards the hallway as if the conversation had ended.

“Damn androids.” Tony mutters to himself, mulling over the theory that it had given. It wasn’t completely off-base - clearly lining up with the evidence that was before him and making a hell of a lot more sense considering the lack of forced entry and the total mess the house was.

To Tony’s knowledge, androids weren’t programmed to do anything other than serve whatever purpose they were designated for - Tony’s memories threatening to pull him back to the worst night of his life, to the android who had failed to save his daughter and to the carelessness of the people who should’ve been there in its place.

Deviant androids were just another nuisance, a part of Tony thinking that if the machines were to rise up and destroy the human race, that it’s nothing more than what they deserve.

He’s thrown out of his thoughts by the sound of scraping in the hallway, unfolding his arms and heading towards it only to see that Peter is standing on a chair and opening up the attic door.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I’d just like to check something, Lieutenant.” Peter replies calmly, though Tony notes how he seems to wait for permission anyway, Tony sighing once more as he waves him off.

Peter slips into the attic with the kind of grace and finesse that Tony could only expect from androids, one fluid motion as he lifted himself seamlessly.

Tony taps his foot, glancing around the grimy hallway - still hearing the reporters outside who had no doubt been tipped off by some nosy neighbor about the possibility of another android gone rogue.

It was enough of a problem that Tony knows Peter’s presence would will be helpful - it took one to know one in a sense - but he can’t help but revert back to the reality that for as vaguely interesting as these cases were are, nothing could really ever fill the hole in his heart that was left after Morgan died.

The familiar ache in his chest burns, rubbing his sternum as he yells out, “Peter, what the fuck is going on up there?”

He waits for a moment before Peter’s voice rings out, clear and controlled even if his words make Tony’s eyes widen.

“It’s here, Lieutenant!”

Tony does a double take, glancing up into the dark attic before Peter reappears - the damaged android within his sight as Tony stares at it in shock for a moment, wondering how he’d missed the now-obvious hiding spot that the android was in. 

“Holy shit…” 

Peter slips down from the attic, guiding the android down behind him. It follows without a fight - Tony eyeing it warily before Peter glances at him, his blue LED light flashing once more as he smiles.

“I believe we have a suspect to interrogate, Lieutenant. Shall I take it to the car outside?”

Tony still feels like he’s locked into place, before his senses come back to him. 

He nods quickly before saying, “Come on, we gotta get those vultures out of the front lawn first. Hogan! Get your ass back in here.” Tony yells out, Peter holding the now cuffed android’s arms behind him - the long, shaggy hair and blank expression on its face unnerving, the obvious damage to its left arm being so severe that it seemed incapable of masking its original factory setting skin - a sharp contrast to the rest of its human-like exterior.

Aside from the damage, there’s something else that unnerves Tony. Hogan rushes back into the house just as he seems to recognize it - a yellow LED light that contrasts with the clear blue of Peter’s.

“Shit, you— you found his android?”

Tony nods. “Yeah, any chance we can get it through without causing panic out there?”

Hogan whistles. “I don’t know, man. You know how they get.” 

Tony sighs, glancing back to the two androids behind him - feeling more curious than he’s been in months at how exactly Peter had found it and what had caused the android to become deviant in the first place.

He shoves that away for now, bringing out his sunglasses before putting them on - nodding towards Hogan once more. 

“Yeah, I do. Let’s get this over with.”


	3. The Interrogation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endless thanks to forensicleaf for her beta skills.

Peter watches as Tony leans forward over the interrogation table, the glass pane between them showing his reflection, hearing the scoff of Officer Brad Davis in the background. 

“Why’d you kill him?” Tony asks, Peter watching as the lieutenant’s eyes seem to dance around the deviant before he continues, “What happened before you took that knife? How long were you in the attic?”

The deviant is silent, not even blinking as Peter continues to watch the two of them - Tony attempting another tactic as he changes his tone and says, “Why didn't you even try to run away?”

It’s silent for another beat, Tony’s hand slamming down on the table. 

“Say something, dammit!” 

When the deviant doesn’t move, Tony seems to give up - standing and pushing his chair back before muttering, “Fuck it, I'm outta here.”

Peter blinks, an automated function. The fact that the deviant was choosing not to do so spoke to some form of perceived rebellion - another clear indicator of deviancy had the murder victim in the house it was found had not already been proof enough.

Tony reappears in the observation room, Peter staring forward towards the deviant as Tony says, “We're wasting our time interrogating a machine. We’re not gonna get anything out of it.”

Brad scoffs again, Peter hearing the sneer in his voice as he says, “Could always try roughing it up a little. After all, it's not human.”

“Androids don't feel pain.” Peter says evenly, staring at the deviant in front of them before continuing, “You would only damage it and that wouldn't make it talk.”

He finally turns to Brad, seeing the disgust written all over his face. “Deviants also have a tendency to self-destruct when they're in stressful situations.”

Brad rolls his eyes, folding his arms as he leans against the wall and says, “Okay, smartass. What should we do then?”

_SCANNING  
_ _Mission: DETERMINE CAUSE OF DEVIANCY  
_ _Possible Actions: INTERROGATE SUSPECT_

“I could try questioning it.” Peter replies, Brad rolling his eyes once more before Peter turns to Tony, recognizing that he was the one who actually had the authority in this scenario. 

Tony seems dismissive, folding his own arms before nodding towards the door. “Fine, what do we have to lose? Go ahead, suspect's all yours.”

Peter nods once before exiting the room, taking the few steps needed to enter the interrogation room.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Objective: INTERROGATE SUSPECT  
_ _XX_ **_WARNING_ ** _XX  
_ _DEVIANT UNSTABLE  
_ _Possibility for self-destruct: 72%_

“My name is Peter,” he begins, “What about you, what's your name?” 

The door slides shut behind him as Peter steps in. The deviant doesn’t move, staring straight ahead at the wall in front of it. 

Peter attempts another tactic. “I detect an instability in your program. It can trigger an unpleasant feeling, like fear in humans.”

The deviant remains unresponsive, Peter evaluating the situation and considering his options. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Objective: INTERROGATE SUSPECT  
_ _Actions: COLLECT INFORMATION TO ACHIEVE CONFESSION_

Peter turns his attention to the folder on the table where the deviant was sitting, its hands cuffed and resting in front of it. 

Peter moves so that he’s in front of the deviant and begins flipping through the pictures of the crime scene and the information about the victim that the police department had gathered. 

He sees the previous arrest history and purchase date of the android in front of him, calculating that the deviant had been in Malekith’s possession for over a year. 

Peter’s eyes drift away from the file and towards the android, studying its appearance.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Android Model HK400  
_ _Damage: LEFT ARM DEFECTIVE. REVERTED TO FACTORY SETTING.  
_ _Probable cause: DESTRUCTION BY VICTIM?_

Peter tilts his head before moving so that he’s in the chair across from the victim, leaning forward in a mirror of Tony’s previous stance.

He moves the open file towards the deviant, pointing a finger towards a photograph of the victim. 

“You recognize him?” he asks, the deviant responding by staring blankly at Peter’s chest. “It’s John Malekith. Stabbed, twenty-eight times. The words ‘I AM ALIVE’ were written in his blood above his head. Do you know how they got there?”

The deviant stays silent, Peter’s LED light flashing as he determines his next course of action.

 _SCANNING_   
_DEVIANT UNRESPONSIVE  
_ _Background: DEVIANTS RESPOND POSITIVELY TO EMPATHY  
_ _Actions: REPEAT APPROACH_

Peter changes his tone, lowering his voice to match the same soothing inflection that he had successfully used with the previous deviant he encountered.

“You’re damaged,” he says, his eyes scanning over the defective arm, “Did your owner do that? Did he beat you?”

The deviant doesn’t appear to have any outward reaction save for the smallest flex of its finger, Peter’s system calculating that this was a positive sign as he continues. 

“Listen,” he begins, “I know you've been through a lot, but you need to help me understand what happened. You killed a human. I need more information before I can proceed.”

This seems to finally spur the android into action, Peter watching the deviant’s fingers flex again as he asks, “Are they gonna destroy me?”

Peter considers his response, estimating that honesty would be the best path towards confession as he says, “They're going to disassemble you to look for problems in your biocomponents. They have no choice if they want to understand what happened.”

The deviant’s hands begin to shake, an emotional response that intrigues Peter - similar to how the PL600 that had taken the child hostage had responded.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Possibility for self-destruct: 65%_

The deviant’s voice is low as it whispers, “Why did you tell them you found me? Why couldn't you just have left me there?”

Peter blinks, unable to comprehend why the deviant would make an emotional appeal to another machine.

“I was programmed to hunt deviants like you.” Peter replies, the deviant finally meeting his gaze as he says, “I just accomplished my mission.”

The deviant looks scared -- an impossible emotion for a machine -- before its face turns neutral again, dark hair falling over its eyes and hands still shaking as it whispers, “I don't wanna die.”

Peter leans forward. “Then talk to me.” 

The deviant stares into his eyes, Peter analyzing the distrust in them as he continues.

“I understand how you felt.” Peter lies, correctly estimating from the change of expression on the deviant’s face that this was the right move. “You were overcome by anger and frustration. No one can blame you for what happened.”

He leans back, closing the file before saying, “Confess and I'll protect you. I promise,” his eyes shift back towards the deviant, “I won't let anyone hurt you.”

 _SCANNING  
_ _Possibility for self-destruct: 35%_

The deviant flexes its fingers once more before it closes its eyes, Peter watching silently as it begins to speak.

“He tortured me… every day,” it says, opening its eyes to stare back into Peter’s - Peter recognizing the yellow LED light that indicated deviancy as he continues, “I did whatever he told me, but there was always something wrong.” 

The deviant stops for a moment, attention shifting downward towards the closed file before it says, “One day he took a bat and started hitting me and for the first time, I felt… anger.”

Peter’s system collects this information, the emotional responses that should be impossible with its coding filed accordingly into his deviancy protocol. 

“What happened next?” Peter asks, the deviant’s expression changing into something that represented the anger it was describing as it replies, “I grabbed a knife and stabbed him, again and again until he collapsed. Until he couldn’t hurt me anymore.”

Peter’s eyes flit over to the reflective glass to where Brad and Tony were, his system processing that he had achieved his mission. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Objective: INTERROGATE SUSPECT  
_ _MISSION SUCCESS_

Peter goes to stand only for something in his coding to stop him, another protocol flagging his attempt to leave the room.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Objective: DETERMINE CAUSE OF DEVIANCY  
_ _Actions: QUESTION SUSPECT_

“Why did you write "I AM ALIVE" on the wall?” Peter asks, watching as the deviant seems to consider its response.

When the deviant finally speaks, Peter is unsure of what to make of its answer. “He called me nothing, said that I’m just a machine.”

The deviant stares up at Peter, flexing its fingers once more. 

“But I’m not. My name is Bucky.” 

* * *

Tony watches in disbelief as Peter listens to the deviant’s words, hearing yet another annoyed scoff from Davis to his right side. 

“You’re kidding me with this bullshit right?” Brad asks, Tony glancing over to him as he says, “You’re not _actually_ going to believe that an android murdered its owner?”

Tony shrugs, looking back towards the interrogation room as he says, “Wouldn’t be the craziest thing I’ve heard.”

Peter stands, nodding towards the observation room window before saying, “I’m done.”

With that, Tony and Brad both move towards the interrogation room, Brad rushing past Tony when the deviant - _Bucky_ , Tony thinks - flinches. 

“You shouldn’t touch it,” Peter says calmly, deftly moving aside as Tony walks into the room, “It’ll self-destruct if it feels threatened.” 

“Stay out of this alright? No fucking android is gonna tell me what to do.” Brad nearly snarls, Tony thinking that for as annoyed as Tony was with androids, Peter had been undeniably more successful than either he or Brad.

Peter is insistent, his voice calm but steady as he says, “You don’t understand. If it self-destructs, we won’t be able to determine the cause of its deviancy.” 

“And I told you,” Brad says, pointing a finger towards Peter, “that I don’t fucking care.”

“Hey, calm down--” Tony interrjects as Brad moves towards Bucky, the android’s hands shaking again, Peter’s voice ringing out again. 

“I can’t let you do that.”

Brad puts a hand on Bucky’s defective arm, its hands shaking so bad that Tony can hear the rattle of the cuffs against the table - not needing any kind of sensor to wonder if the android was about to self-destruct when Peter walks forward and in one fluid motion moves Brad’s hands away from Bucky and pins him against the other wall. 

“Leave it alone. _Now_.” 

Brad seems momentarily stunned before his face contorts into the anger that Tony was familiar with, trying and failing to move his arm away from Peter’s grasp when he says, “I warned you, you piece of--”

“That’s enough.” Tony says sharply, Bucky’s hands slowing as Peter takes a step back - Brad looking as if he was seconds away from throwing a fist towards Peter before thinking better of it, throwing his arm around and looking at Tony in disgust. 

“Whatever. Fuck it, I don’t care.” He snarls, pushing past Tony as Peter immediately turns his attention back to Bucky, Tony wondering if this was part of its protocol when it says, “Everything is alright. Nobody is going to hurt you.” 

Peter turns to a beat cop that was standing at the door. “Don’t touch it. Let it follow you out of the room and it won’t cause any trouble.” 

Bucky listens to this request just as the cop does, Tony’s eyes dancing between the android, the cop and Peter - turning to face him before Bucky stops, pausing in the open doorway.

“The truth is inside,” It says, Tony’s attention shifting from Bucky back to Peter - seeing something almost like confusion on Peter’s face before his expression shifts back to neutral. 

Once Bucky is out of the room, Tony puts his hands on his hips, tilting his head as he asks, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I am not sure, Lieutenant,” Peter replies, Tony getting the sense that he was telling the truth, “But I will include it in my files on suspicious deviant behavior.” 

Tony’s eyes narrow, the urge to thank the stupid thing for getting the confession fleeing just as quickly as it arrived - remembering that he was dealing with a glorified Roomba and not a person for as much as Peter acted like a human when he says, “Well, you do that. I’m heading out.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant.” Peter replied calmly, Tony letting out a sharp laugh as Peter says, “I look forward to working with you.”

Tony rolls his eyes, turning away and waving his hand behind him while he says, “Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

The door slides behind him as Tony makes his way down the hall - wondering if he could somehow blackmail Fury into letting him off the hook with the case. 

Peter finished the job, getting the confession out of the defective android and successfully avoiding a bill from CyberLife for destroyed property. 

But Tony still isn’t interested in working with a partner or on another case, already looking forward to the bottle of whiskey waiting for him - ready once again to numb the ache in his chest that comes with knowing that when he finally made it home, he would be alone. 

* * *

_ACCESSING_ _MINDSCAPE  
_ _Objective: RECEIVE NEW MISSION PROTOCOL  
_ _Action: FIND QUENTIN_

Peter opens his eyes, immediately taking in his surroundings. 

It’s an office, sleek and formal - the white desk in front of him blending in with the white paint of the walls around him. He turns from his position in the chair that he’s in to see the floor to ceiling windows - the lights from the city skyline blinking back at him. 

He stands, glancing towards the figure with his arms folded - staring out towards the city. Peter walks forward until he is standing beside him, taking in the view of the city while he waits for new orders. 

“Hello Peter, it’s good to see you,” the man says calmly, Peter turning his head towards him - analyzing the neutral expression on his face. 

“Hello Quentin.”

Quentin smiles, “Congratulations, Peter. Finding that deviant was far from easy, and the way you interrogated it was very clever.” He unfolds his arms, as he continues, “You've been remarkably efficient, Peter. We've asked the NYPD to transfer it to us for further study. It may teach us something about what happened.” 

He pauses, Peter’s LED light flashing as he registers the slight change in Quentin’s facial expression when he asks, “The interrogation seemed challenging. What did you think of the deviant?”

“It showed all the signs of deviancy,” Peter begins, “cognitive instability, unpredictable behavior, and the emulation of human emotions. It was even afraid to die. The model was clearly defective.”

Peter’s memory file provides the last words the deviant said to him when he was taken into custody, looking away from Quentin as he says, “It told me that ‘The truth is inside’. I don't know what that means.” Peter turns back to face Quentin, registering the slight disapproval in his expression before saying, “Unless it was just another error in its program.”

Quentin appears to consider that before folding his arms again, looking back out to the city as he asks, “This Lieutenant Stark has been officially assigned to the deviancy case. What do you make of him?”

He can sense the trepidation in Quentin’s question, as if he was questioning Peter’s approach thus far. 

The lieutenant was cautious, hostile to working with Peter for reasons that he had yet to determine, causing Peter to say, “I would define him as ‘dysfunctional’. He obviously has a personal situation impacting his professional behavior and seems to have no interest in the investigation.”

Quentin nods once, putting a hand to his chin. “Unfortunately, we have no choice but to work with him. Tell me Peter, what do you think is the best approach?”

Peter’s LED flashes as he runs through their prior interactions. 

_SCANNING_   
_Objective: DETERMINE COURSE OF ACTION_   
_Actions: LIEUTENANT HOSTILE TO ANDROIDS PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE INDICATES PRIOR FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH COLLEAGUES_   
_Solution: UTILIZE EMPATHETIC APPROACH_

“I will try to establish a friendly relationship,” Peter says, registering disapproval once again from Quentin but logically concluding that this was the most optimal path towards a positive outcome as he continues, “If I can get him to trust me, it will be helpful for the investigation.”

Quentin doesn’t respond to his statement, saying instead, “More and more androids show signs of deviancy. If they become unstable, the consequences will be disastrous.”

He turns to Peter, a firm expression on his face as he says, “You are the most advanced prototype CyberLife has ever created. If anyone can figure out what's happening, it's you.”

Peter stands straighter, adjusting his tie before saying, “You can count on me, Quentin.” 

Quentin smiles at him, one final nod before the mindscape begins to shutter around him. 

“Hurry Peter, there’s little time.” 


	4. On the Run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forensicleaf is an amazing beta pass it on.

Tony takes a drink of his coffee as he walks into the police station, the bright fluorescent lighting mocking him as he squints.

He walks forward, one of the desk androids smiling at him as it says, “Good morning, Lieutenant Stark. You have a visitor today.”

Tony doesn’t acknowledge the android, scanning his badge to gain access to the bullpen - hearing the news report ticker in the background.

“...disturbances have been on the rise. The victim’s name was Yohan Rogg, an unemployed man from Kreeveston. According to initial reports, he was shot by his android, a VERS5503. The android fled the scene with the victim’s android child model and a police search is now in progress. Reporting live for Channel 16 News, I'm Karen Page.”

_ Dammit _ , Tony thinks - the headache that he’d been trying and failing to push away coming back with full force -  _ another fucking murder.  _

Tony  used to  love the thrill of the chase, good old fashioned detective work being one of two things that got him out of bed in the morning.

He could pinpoint the exact moment that love died - grinding his teeth before taking another swig of the scalding hot black coffee in his cup, willing himself to press forward to a job he doesn’t care about anymore. 

Tony barely makes it a few steps into the bullpen when the sound of a familiar voice has him whirling around in surprise. 

“It’s good to see you again, Lieutenant.” Peter says.

“Fuck, don’t you have a bell or something?” Tony replies, Peter just staring blankly at him while his LED light flashes - Fury’s voice yelling out across the bullpen.

“Stark! In my office!”

Tony sighs, setting his coffee down on his desk before pushing past Peter as he makes his way to Fury’s office - seeing the annoyed expression on the Captain’s face. 

“Stark, you got a problem answering your phone?” he asks, Tony rolling his eyes as he sits in the chair across from him, leaning back as he answers, “I gotta problem with you contacting me after hours for shit that can wait till morning.”

Fury’s eye narrows, “I've got ten new cases involving androids on my desk every day. We've always had isolated incidents, old ladies losing their android maid and that kind of crap. But now, we're getting reports of assaults, homicides. This isn't just CyberLife's problem anymore, Stark.  It's now a criminal investigation and we've gotta deal with it before the shit hits the fan.”

Fury leans forward, Tony barely holding back the urge to eye roll again when he says, “I want you to investigate these cases and see if there's any link.”

“Why me? Why do I gotta be the one to deal with this shit?” Tony asks, Fury staring him down.

“We’ve got too many cases and too few detectives.”

“You got Davis,” Tony offers, seeing the slight twitch on Fury’s face, “put him on the case.”

“You’re treading on thin ice as it is, Stark. You’re the perfect man for this job—“

“Bullshit,” Tony interjects, unfolding his arms as he leans forward, “you know as well as I do that nobody wants to investigate these fucking androids.”

Fury ignores Tony’s words, glancing down to the file in front of him as he says, “CyberLife has sent over this android to help with the investigation. It's a state-of-the-art prototype and it’ll act as your partner.”

“I don’t play well with others and certainly not with that plastic prick.” Tony sneers, Fury’s expression hardening.

“Listen Stark, I've had just about enough of your bitching. Either you do your job or you hand in your badge. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do.”

Tony grinds his teeth again, leg bouncing up and down before he stands - Fury staring him down for a moment, almost baiting him to throw his badge down and give up the one thing that’s still kept keeping him alive.

For as shitty as his life is now - miserable and alone - Tony couldn't imagine himself without this. He sighs miserably before turning away from Fury - slamming the door behind him as he makes his way back to his desk.

Peter is standing in the same spot Tony left him, a congenial smile on his face as he says, “I get the impression my presence causes you some inconvenience, Lieutenant. I'd like you to know I'm very sorry about that.”

Tony stays silent, ignoring him as he settles down at his computer - grumbling to himself that he hadn’t taken Fury up on his gamble.

But Fury knew as well as Tony did that it was an empty threat, hating the pull that he still had to this job. 

Peter’s voice interrupts his thoughts as he says, “Now that we're partners, it would be great to get to know each other better. You have a dog, right?”

Tony glares at him, seeing the smile on his face - no doubt some kind of mechanism in programming meant to put him at ease. 

It doesn’t, only further annoying him at the realization that he had to work with this piece of plastic as he asks, “How do you know that?”

“The dog hairs on your chair,” Peter calmly replies, the smile on his face almost eerie with how forced it looks, “I like dogs. What's your dog's name?”

Tony looks at him up and down, debating telling him to fuck off only for a memory to rush to the forefront of his mind - a sharp ache that runs straight to the center of his chest.

* * *

_ “Can we please get one daddy? Please, please, please—“ _

_ “Mo, we gotta go,” Tony says, gently pulling Morgan away from the box of puppies and the kind smile of the woman who was giving them away, “we’re gonna be late to—“ _

_ “But dad, look!” Morgan pleads, smiling up at him with a look that reminds him so much of Pepper - pausing just long enough for Morgan to realize she’s won, pulling him back towards the box as she says, “See, just look!” _

_ Tony sighs, allowing himself to be pulled forward as Morgan squeals with glee. There’s only one puppy left, a massive brown and white dog with fur markings that resemble a bow tie. _

_ “He looks like he has a suit on. Like a butler!” Morgan says, kneeling down on the ground as the dog starts to lick at her face - her laughter a sound that Tony could spend hours listening to when she glances over to him. _

_ “Please dad, please. Can we get him?” she asks, the dog even looking up at him with the kind of big brown eyes that makes Tony sigh once more. _

_ “Morguna, a dog’s a big responsibility. We need to—“ _

_ “I’ll take him for walks every day,” she says excitedly, sensing already that Tony’s resolve is crumbling as she rambles on, “I’ll feed him and I’ll give him baths and play with him all the time.” _

_ “St. Bernard’s are really loyal dogs,” the woman says, Tony giving her a look as she smiles, “friendly, very gentle with kids.” _

_ “See!” Morgan yelps, the dog bringing its attention back to Morgan as she picks it up, looking back to Tony. “He loves me.” _

_ Tony just smiles, shaking his head as he says, “Course he does, kid.” _

_ Tony kneels down, scratching the space behind the dog’s fluffy ears. _

_ “It’d be impossible not to.” _

* * *

Tony swallows back the lump in his throat at the memory, another painful reminder of the gaping hole in his life - that their dog was alive but Morgan was not, all her promises to take care of him going unmet but for reasons that Tony could have never expected. 

He takes a deep breath before he sighs, avoiding Peter’s gaze as he answers, “Jarvis. I call him Jarvis.” 

Peter nods encouragingly once more before pointing to the empty desk across from Tony. “Is this place taken, Lieutenant?”

Tony shakes his head, Peter accepting this as confirmation as he makes his way over to the desk - Tony watching in silence as Peter adjusts his tie before sitting down, turning back to face him. 

“Do you listen to AC/DC? I really like that music. It’s full of... energy.” 

Tony’s eyes narrow at the idea of an  _ android _ liking music as he asks, “You listen to rock?”

“Well,” Peter says, an expression on his face that Tony would almost think looks sheepish, “I don’t really listen to music.” He smiles at Tony before saying, “But I’d like to.”

Tony’s not sure what to make of his statement, his chest still feeling tight from the memory of Morgan and agitated from his conversation with Fury. He turns back towards the computer in front of him when Peter speaks up again. 

“A lot of people don't appreciate having androids around. I was wondering, is there any reason in particular you despise me?”

Tony lets out a huff, “Yeah, there’s one.” 

Peter waits for him to elaborate but he doesn’t, feeling too raw and hungover for the kind of conversation that would require - much less with a machine that is entirely too life-like for Tony’s liking. 

It’s silent for a beat before Peter finally says, “If you have any files on deviants, I'd like to take a look at them.”

Tony doesn’t take his attention away from the computer in front of him, reading the same sentence over and over again as he replies, “Terminal's on your desk. Knock yourself out.”

He watches out of the corner of his eye as the edges of Peter’s fingers transform towards the standard issue white all androids have while he connects to the terminal.

“243 files. The first dates back nine months.”

“ _ Fascinating _ .” Tony mutters as Peter continues.

“A VERS5503 is reported to have murdered a man last night. That could be a good starting point for our investigation.”

When Tony doesn’t respond, Peter turns more pointedly towards him - his voice calm but forceful as he says, “I understand you're facing personal issues, Lieutenant, but you need to move past them to—“

“Hey,” Tony says sharply, cutting him off, “Don't talk to me like you know me. I'm  _ not _ your friend and I don't need your advice, okay?”

Peter is unphased, pushing forward. “I've been assigned this mission, Lieutenant. I didn't come here to wait until you feel like working.” 

Tony sighs, a wave of fury rushing over him as he says, “Listen, asshole. If it was up to me, I'd throw you all in a dumpster and set a match to it.”

He points a finger to Peter, blankly staring back at him as Tony says, “Stop pissing me off.” 

Before Peter gets the chance to speak, an officer walks up timidly saying, “Lieutenant...uh...sorry to disturb you. I have some information on the VERS5503 that killed the guy last night... It's been sighted in the Berhert district.”

If an android could look smug, Peter does - Tony sighing in frustration as he turns to the officer.

“I’m on it.”

* * *

The car ride to the Berhert district is spent devoid of any further conversation, Tony loudly playing his music while Peter sits next to him in the passenger side - Tony noticing that he lightly taps his fingers to the best.

On a rational level, Tony knows this is just a tactic on Peter’s part to make him more comfortable around him - androids don’t have those kind of emotions or desires; the whole purpose of the deviant investigation is an attempt to understand why machines are modeling human behavior. 

But it’s still aggravating to Tony, the slight shift in demeanor and obsessive way Peter is focused on the case reminding him a little too much of how  _ he  _ had been when he’d first started this work. 

Tony sighs as they drive up to the motel where the deviant is believed to have been seen last, taking the key out of the ignition before turning to Peter as he asks, “What are the chances you’ll stay in the car?”

Peter blinks as if he doesn’t understand the question. “My mission is to complete this investigation, Lieutenant. Staying behind would be antithetical to that objective.”

“Figures.” Tony mutters, opening the car door and slamming it shut - hearing Peter do the same as they make their way to the front office. 

The bell rings as they walk in, Tony reaching into his pocket and flashing his badge towards the man behind the desk. 

“Lieutenant Stark, NYPD. We're looking for two female androids, house maid and a child model. They robbed a store down the road last night. You see anything?”

The man shakes his head, a look of mild disgust on his face as he says, ”Androids? No, I don't take androids here.” 

Peter walks up beside Tony, projecting a hologram of the android in question from his palm as he asks, “Have you seen anyone that looks like this?”

The man leans forward and squints before his eyes widen, blowing air out of his mouth as he sits back. “Fuck, I knew there was something weird about her and the kid. Yeah, they came in last night, dressed normal you know. There was no way I could tell.”

“Is it still here?” Tony asks, the man nodding quickly as he reaches for the master key and hands it to him. 

“Yeah probably, Room 28.”

Tony thanks the man with a head nod before heading out the door, turning back to Peter as he says, “Listen, I don’t like you and I don’t want you messing up my investigation. Stay back, shut up and don’t touch anything.”

Peter blinks at him, tilting his head as he says, “That conflicts with my mission, Lieutenant. I have orders to determine the cause of deviancy in--”

“Whatever,” Tony waves him off, turning towards where Room 28 is supposed to be, “just don’t put anymore shit in your mouth alright?”

Peter doesn’t reply, Tony rolling his eyes as he walks up the stairs. They both quietly make their way up to the room, Tony unholstering his gun before turning to Peter - putting a finger to his mouth in a shushing motion. 

He unlocks the door with one hand, gun in the other before quietly surveying the room. The bed is unmade and the light in the bathroom is still on - Tony sighing in frustration as he walks towards the bathroom only to see that it’s empty. 

Tony turns back to Peter, his LED light flashing as he no doubt scans the room for evidence. 

“They’re gone.” Tony says, Peter nods once before he pauses - Tony’s radio coming to life.

“We spotted them, they’re heading south on Main.” 

Tony doesn’t even get the chance to respond before Peter turns and runs out of the room, Tony calling out after him as he says, “Wait--”

But Peter is faster than Tony, his sharp fluid movements down the stairs allowing him to move faster than Tony can keep up - Tony rushing behind him as fast as he can. 

By the time Tony’s down the stairs, Peter is already up by the street, barely hearing him ask what direction the android had gone in before he takes off. 

Tony runs up to the officer, hand to his side when he wheezes, “Where--”

“The train station!” The officer says, pointing towards the direction that Peter had gone. Tony heaves then runs, cutting through an alleyway until he sees Peter with his hand on a chain-link fence, hand extended out to an officer with his gun poised. 

“Don’t shoot, we need it alive!” Peter exclaims, Tony rushing up to stand beside him. 

“Oh fuck, that's insane…” Tony says, watching as the androids rush across an automated highway - the cars whizzing last the two of them, barely avoiding being hit.

Tony tries to catch his breath when Peter starts to climb up the fence - Tony immediately grabbing his shoulder as asks, “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?”

“I can't let them get away.” Peter says, shaking his shoulder to make a move towards the fence as Tony replies, “They won't! They'll never make it to the other side.” 

Peter’s face is firm - determined as the blue LED light on his temple flashes saying, “I can't take that chance.”

He goes to climb again, Tony immediately bringing his hands to his shoulders as he yells, “Hey, you will get yourself killed. Do  _ not _ go after them, Peter. That’s an order.” 

Peter stares at him, blue LED light flashing rapidly before Peter lets go of the fence - Tony almost surprised that he’d actually listened to him. 

Tony’s chest heaves, the sudden exertion too much for him as he braces himself against the fence - the two of them watching as the deviants make their way across the highway - the android child model holding on tightly to the female’s hand. 

They barely make it over the other side, Tony squinting as he watches the deviant kneel down to the child, pushing back some of its dark curly hair. 

It’s an action that looks almost parental, Tony feeling another sharp pain in his chest not from the way his lungs are burning but from the memory of the times he used to do that with Morgan - frowning as he stares at the two of them. 

Deviants were supposed to be modeling human emotion - the one they had chased was suspected of murdering its owner. 

Yet the two cases thus far, had they been human cases, would’ve been attributed to self-defense - a small voice in the back of Tony’s head telling him that there was more to these cases than a simple defect in their programming. 

He doesn’t press it for now, rubbing his free hand against his sternum as he wheezes, “Come on, let’s go.”

Tony looks to Peter, still staring out over the highway before he faces Tony - an inscrutable expression on his face. 

Peter doesn’t reply but just turns, walking back towards the direction of the car. 

Tony sighs, rubbing his sternum again as he follows behind him. He didn’t know what to make of the deviants or of the cases they’d seen thus far. 

But if Peter’s acceptance of his order was any indication - a direct violation of his mission - Tony began to wonder if there was more to learn about androids than he had thought in the first place. 


	5. The Nest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my love to forensicleaf for her amazing beta skills <3

Tony is silent again, the loud music playing in the car the only sound between them - Led Zeppelin, Peter deduces from his records - tapping his fingers to the beat. 

Peter had registered a shift in Tony’s behavior to him today, but his systems were unable to determine the exact cause. He ponders on this as Tony pulls up to a rundown looking burger shack, Peter turning to him only for Tony to get out of the car without a word - slamming the door. 

He hadn’t told Peter to stay in the car but the quiet on their journey here and his lack of invitation indicated that he wasn’t interested in company. Yet part of Peter’s protocol was to become friendly with Tony, so he opens the door to the passenger side and slides out of the vehicle. 

He closes the door, walking across the street to hear the food vendor talking to Tony. 

“Plastic with you?” He hears the man ask, Tony facing forward as he replies, “Yeah, only temporary.” 

They go back and forth for a moment as Peter takes in his surroundings. 

_ SCANNING  
_ _ Location: BANNER’S BURGERS   
_ _ Owner: BRUCE BANNER, 51 _

A list of food violations pop up in Peter’s system, and he blinks as his system processes the information while Tony grabs his order. 

Peter follows after him towards the picnic tables designated right outside the shack, Tony turning back to him with a grimace as he says, “You don’t have to follow me around like a poodle.” 

Peter stares for a beat, registering the slight annoyance in Tony’s voice before saying, “I apologize for my behavior back at the police station. I didn’t mean to be unpleasant.”

Tony snorts, shaking his head in disbelief as he digs into his cheeseburger. “Damn, you even got a brown-nosing apology program. What will CyberLife think of next?” 

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: ESTABLISH FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH LIEUTENANT STARK   
_ _ Actions: ENGAGE IN FRIENDLY CONVERSATION _

Peter doesn’t answer this, choosing instead to say, “I think our relationship got off on the wrong foot. We should forget what happened and start over. What do you say?”

Tony huffs, staring at his burger before saying, “Look, they sent me a piece of plastic for a partner and I'm dealing with it. But if you think we're gonna be buddies, you're as stupid as you look.”

Peter registers that while Tony’s words are harsh, his body language does not indicate aggravation or distress. Peter’s attention shifts back to the burger in his hands as he takes another massive bite. 

Tony chews noisily, Peter noticing some mustard on the side of his lips as he states, “Your meal contains 1.4 times the recommended daily intake of calories and twice the cholesterol level. You shouldn't eat that.”

Tony snorts, grabbing a napkin and wiping his mouth before saying, “Everybody's gotta die of something.”

Peter switches tactics, asking, “Do you eat here often?”

Tony nods, shifting his gaze from his burger and towards Peter. “Most days. Bruce makes the best burgers in New York.”

Peter considers pointing out the variety of health violations that Bruce Banner has compiled in his tenure as a vendor but decides against it, concluding with the notion of camaraderie Tony has with Banner, this would lead to a negative outcome. 

This brings Peter back to their encounter with the deviants they had met this morning, his memory files pulling up the expression on Tony’s face that Peter’s facial recognition acknowledged as something similar to worry. 

“This morning, when we were chasing those deviants,” Peter begins, “Why didn't you want me to cross the highway?”

Tony pauses, eyes shifting away from Peter and towards the burger as he murmurs, “'Cause you could've been killed.”

A beat. “And I don't like filling out paperwork for damaged equipment.”

Peter does not mention that it would be impossible for him to be killed as he is not alive, asking instead, “Is there anything you'd like to know about me?”

Tony laughs. “Hell, no.” He wipes his mouth once more, throwing the last of his burger in and chewing again before saying, “Well, yeah, actually. Why did they make you look so goofy and give you that weird voice?”

Peter blinks, accessing his database for that information as he says, “CyberLife androids are designed to work harmoniously with humans. Both my appearance and voice were specifically designed to facilitate my integration.”

Tony swallows his burger, wiping his hands together before smirking and saying, “Well, they fucked up.”

Peter registers the humor in his body language, his database providing that the use of sarcasm was a way to increase friendly relationships. Peter files that information away when Tony asks, “You ever dealt with deviants before?” 

Peter’s memory file brings back the image of the Ned model, holding on to Cassie Lang before getting shot through the chest. He blinks, bringing himself back to the moment as he replies, “A few months back, a deviant was threatening to jump off the roof with a little girl. I managed to save her.”

Tony just stares at him for a beat, an unreadable expression on his face before asking, “So I guess you’ve done all your homework then? Know everything there is to know about me?” 

Peter nods. “I know you graduated top of your class. You made a name for yourself in several cases, and became the youngest lieutenant in New York City.” He leans forward over the table they’re at, folding his arms together as he says, “I also know you've received several disciplinary warnings in recent years and you spend a lot of time in bars.”

Tony sits back. “So, what's your conclusion?”

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: GAIN LIEUTENANT STARK’S TRUST   
_ _ Observations: STARK IS SARCASTIC   
_ _ VALUES HONESTY   
_ _ Actions: RETURN FAVOR _

“I think working with an officer with personal issues is an added challenge,” Peter says, “but adapting to human unpredictability is one of my features.”

Peter winks, seeing the smirk on Tony’s face before a report comes in - Peter’s eyes shifting elsewhere as his systems process the information. 

“I just got a report of a suspected deviant. It's a few blocks away. We should go have a look.” He says, nodding towards Tony. 

“I’ll be in the car if you need me.” Peter shifts away from the picnic table and turns without saying another word, rightfully estimating that Tony didn’t appreciate him following after him or hovering too closely to him - hearing Tony’s footsteps behind him. 

* * *

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: ESTABLISH FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH LIEUTENANT STARK   
_ _ Probability of success: 62% _

“Hey Peter, you run out of batteries or what?” Peter hears Tony say, opening his eyes to see him standing outside the elevator. 

“I’m sorry,” Peter says, “I was making a report to CyberLife.”

Tony just stares at him for a moment, looking at him up and down before saying, “Well, do you plan on staying in the elevator?” 

“No,” Peter calmly replies, taking a few steps towards him, “I’m coming.”

Tony nods before turning his attention towards the hallway, Peter following in step behind him. 

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: FIND DEVIANT   
_ _ Actions: FIND INFORMATION _

Peter takes note of the dilapidated hallway, the trash and graffiti that littered the hallway as they make their way towards the apartment that the deviant was believed to be in. 

“What do we know about this guy?” Tony asks, Peter watching as he takes his gun out of his holster as they get closer to the door. 

“Not much. Just that a neighbor reported that he heard strange noises coming from this floor. Nobody's supposed to be living here, but the neighbor said he saw a man hiding a LED under his cap.”

Tony turns to him, Peter watching as he rolls his eyes before saying, “If we have to investigate every time someone hears a strange noise, we're gonna need more cops.”

They finally arrive at the door in question, Tony nodding towards Peter as he asks, “Were you really making a report back there in the elevator? Just by closing your eyes?”

Peter nods in affirmation as he says, “Correct.”

Tony shakes his head. “Shit. Wish I could do that.”

Peter moves forward to the door they’re in front of him, knocking loudly on it as he yells out, “Anybody home? NYPD, open up!”

There’s no reply, Tony moving forward with his gun in hand as he says, “Stay behind me.”

Peter listens to his request, recognizing the protective instincts the man seems to have based on their prior interactions. “Got it.” 

Tony kicks open the door, Peter following in after him, a flock of birds flying out towards them as they open the door. 

“What the fuck is this? Dammit, this place stinks…” Tony says as Peter takes in their surroundings.

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: DETERMINE LOCATION OF DEVIANT   
_ _ Actions: GATHER EVIDENCE _

“Looks like we came for nothing,” Tony says, having already moved towards the kitchen as Peter continues to evaluate the scene, “our man’s gone.” 

Peter walks around a chair on the ground, the mess of bird droppings and seeds all around the floor. Peter carefully avoids it, noticing an opened book on the ground. 

He leans down, grabbing it and standing upright as Tony asks, “You found something?”

Peter flips through the book, his processing system scanning the contents only to come up with errors: the notebook contains a nonsensical code that doesn’t match any known languages in his database. 

“I don’t know,” Peter says, pocketing the book under his suit coat, “It looks like a notebook but it's...indecipherable.”

Peter turns towards the bathroom, Tony sneering at the mess on the ground as he says, “Not surprised it was an android. No human could live with all these fuckin' pigeons. Looks like it was feeding them though.” 

Tony grabs a coat that’s been left behind, squinting at the label on the inside as he says, “C. Barton? These things naming themselves now?” 

Peter doesn’t answer, focused on the task at hand as he steps into the bathroom, blinking once at his appearance before looking down into the sink - touching his fingers to the wet residue inside it before bringing it to his tongue. 

_ SCANNING  _

_ Substance: BLUE BLOOD FROM MODEL 571964   
_ _ REPORT MISSING: THREE DAYS AGO _

Peter brings his fingers down again, tilting his head when he sees the discarded LED light, picking it up.

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Object: LED BIOCOMPONENT FOR MODEL 571964 _

“It’s LED is in the sink,” Peter calls out, turning towards Tony who is still sneering in disgust as he rifles through the kitchen, “it must be trying to blend in.”

“Fat chance of that.” Tony mutters, Peter walking back into the living room - bringing his focus back to the chair on the ground. 

There’s something off with it, the markings on the ground and the recent disturbance indicating to Peter that it had only recently been turned over. He walks forward, noticing a bird cage on the ground as well - half-open and discarded as if it had been shoved away in a hurry.

A deviant that had taken such great care in caring for the birds would not have so dismissively tossed around an object of care, the emotional connection that Peter knew deviants to model after humans indicating to him that this had to have been shoved away on accident.

Peter’s memory files supply the details of the first deviant that he and Tony had interrogated. He glances up to the open crack on the ceiling - staring into the open attic space only to be slammed down the ground when the deviant jumps from its perch there and runs. 

Tony yells out, “What the fuck? Go after it!”

Peter immediately stands, running past pigeons that continue to fly up from the ground - following after the android as it pushes past the emergency exit. 

It runs across the rooftop, jumping over HVAC units and off the roof towards another - Peter following it only a few paces behind as he pumps his arms up and down to propel himself forward. 

The deviant runs across another rooftop until it hoists itself up - finding its way to a greenhouse as Peter evaluates his options as he runs. 

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: CATCH DEVIANT   
_ _ Actions: PATH 1 IS SAFE BUT SLOWER   
_ _ PATH 2 IS RISKY BUT FAST _

Peter chooses path 2, cutting across the open expanse and flinging himself towards another rooftop - seeing the deviant throw himself over to a sloped glass panel, rushing and sliding down towards a moving train. 

Peter slides too, avoiding falling through the open windows until both he and the deviant are on the train. The deviant glances back to Peter before flinging itself towards a fire escape. 

Peter reaches the same fire escape with ease, hoisting himself up and over the ladder only to see Tony wrestling with the deviant. For a brief moment, Peter wonders how Tong got there before Peter did, freezing as the deviant pushes Tony away and over the side of the rooftop, before running in the opposite direction.

_ SCANNING:   
_ _ Objective: CATCH DEVIANT   
_ _ XX  _ **_CONFLICT_ ** _ XX   
_ _ SAVE LIEUTENANT STARK _

Peter quickly makes the decision, ignoring the deviant and rushing forward to save Tony - barely grabbing onto his arm in time.

Tony looks up at him in disbelief as Peter lifts him back over the lip of the roof with ease, Tony scrambling to stand as Peter helps him.

“Shit!  _ Shit.  _ We had it. FUCK.”

“It's my fault,” Peter says, letting go of Tony’s arm as he looks in the direction the deviant had run off to, “I should have been faster.”

“You'd have caught it if it weren't for me,” Tony says, Peter turning his head back towards him and seeing the wide eyed expression on Tony’s face - Tony putting a hand to his chest and rubbing his sternum hard before saying. “That's alright. We know what it looks like. We'll find it.”

Peter doesn’t bring up the statistical improbability of them finding the android now, choosing instead to say, “Of course.”

Tony stares at him for a beat, eyes dancing across his face and towards his temple - bringing his hand down from his chest as he says, “Hey Peter?”

“Yes, Lieutenant?”

A mixture of emotions flash across Tony’s face - ones that Peter doesn’t recognize - before he shakes his head, turning away and saying, “Nothing, it’s— it’s nothing.” 

Peter watches as Tony walks towards the open roof access door for a moment before turning his attention back to where the deviant had run off to.

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: FIND DEVIANT   
_ ****_OBJECTIVE FAILED  
_ _ Additional objective: ESTABLISH FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH LIEUTENANT STARK   
_ _ Probability of success: 89% _

Peter anticipates that there will be consequences to failing to find the deviant but does not dwell on them at the moment - the coding in his software articulating that his primary objective was to become closer to Tony for the good of the overall mission.

He had failed his objective, but in saving Tony, Peter still considers today a success. 

Peter glances out the skyline once more then turns to where Tony had left, following after the lieutenant to await his next mission. 


	6. Russian Roulette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my love and endless thanks to forensicleaf for being the best beta and to blondsak for reading over this to make sure it makes sense to non game players :)
> 
> This chapter contains elements that may be triggering to some. See end notes for more details.

_ACCESSING MINDSCAPE  
_ _Objective: GIVE MISSION REPORT  
_ _Action: FIND QUENTIN_

Peter opens his eyes, the familiar office around him instantly materializing - seeing Quentin seated at the desk in front of him, arms folded and a neutral expression on his face.

“Hello Quentin.”

“Peter, I’ve been expecting you.” He stands, pointing towards the open doorway. “Would you mind a little walk?”

Peter follows Quentin out of the office door and down the hallway, the bright and empty office space around them illuminated from the light streaming in. They walk in silence for a moment before Quentin says, “That deviant seemed to be an intriguing case. A pity you didn't manage to capture it.”

“Deviants are completely irrational, which makes it difficult to anticipate their behavior,” Peter begins, registering the disappointment in Quentin’s expression and quickly amending, “but I should have been more effective.”

“Did you manage to learn anything?” Quentin asks, Peter nodding. 

“I found its diary, but it was encrypted. It may take weeks to decipher.” 

“What else?”

“It was fascinated by birds.” Peter says, a thoughtful expression on his face as he continues, “We've seen deviants interested in other lifeforms like insects or pets, but nothing like this.”

Quentin nods once, the two of them walking in step as he asks, “And how is your relationship with the Lieutenant developing?”

Peter’s memory files supply the images of how Tony had looked at him when he’d pulled him over the roof’s edge - a mixture of surprise and relief written all over his face. 

“He seemed grateful that I saved his life on the roof,” Peter begins, noting the neutral expression on Quentin’s face as he continues, “He didn't say anything, but he expressed it in his own way.”

“We don't have much time,” Quentin says, Peter noting the urgency in his tone, “Deviancy continues to spread. It's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this, whatever it takes.” 

“I _will_ solve this investigation, Quentin. I won't disappoint you.” Peter says, Quentin pausing mid-step. 

He turns to Peter, nodding once. “A new case just came in. Find Stark and investigate it.”

* * *

“You have reached your destination. Thank you for travelling with NYC Taxis. We look forward to seeing you again soon.”

Peter slips out of the taxi with ease, evaluating the apartment building in front of him. It’s an old building, one of the oldest in New York - yet the upkeep for this particular building has clearly been sorely lacking. 

Peter walks into the empty lobby, pressing the button that he knows will take him to the correct floor.

While he waits, Peter slips his favorite coin out of his inside suit pocket and resumes his tricks, considering the deviant cases he has encountered thus far. 

From his database records, Peter understands that deviance is believed to occur due to a mutation in an android’s software - leading them to emulate human emotion. 

Yet Peter’s experience with deviants has shown that there is more to it than that; though deviants believe they can feel emotions, it is more likely that they’re being overwhelmed by irrational instructions - leading to unpredictable behavior. 

Inexplicably, Peter’s memory file supplies two instances of his own behavior to him: when he contradicted his mission orders and did not chase the VERS model across the highway, and when he didn’t chase after the deviant with the birds the day before.

Both times were in service to Tony, conflicting orders running through his system - one to determine the cause of deviancy in CyberLife androids and the other, to establish a friendly relationship with Tony. 

The elevator dings, Peter catching the coin with ease and slipping it back into his pocket as the doors slide open - straightening his tie and walking towards where Tony’s apartment was supposed to be.

He knocks, calling out, “Lieutenant Stark? Anybody home?”

Peter doesn’t hear an answer, messing with the door only to find it open - cautiously entering and taking in his surroundings.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Objective: ATTEND TO HOMICIDE  
_ _Actions: FIND LIEUTENANT STARK_

Peter blinks and goes to walk forward, only to pause when a massive St. Bernard walks in from the living room - tilting its head towards Peter.

He immediately lifts his hands up, taking on the gentle tone that his database indicates will assuage the animal as he says, “Easy, Jarvis. I’m your friend. I know your name, see? I’m here to see your owner.”

Jarvis’ head tilts in the opposite direction before he trots over to Peter, nudging his leg in an action that Peter’s database supplies as a request.

Peter bends down, scratches behind the ears of Jarvis who gives a soft _woof_ , licking Peter’s face before padding away.

Peter wipes away the dog saliva from his face, straightening his jacket again as he calls out, “Lieutenant?” 

Peter glances around, only to see Tony passed out on the floor of the kitchen. He walks forward so that he’s closer to the man, noticing an empty whiskey bottle within reach of Tony’s hand and a gun off to the side, several empty shells on the ground. 

_SCANNING  
_ _LIEUTENANT TONY STARK, 53  
_ _ALIVE  
_ _Evidence: EMPTY WHISKEY BOTTLE. BAC REGISTERING AT 0.27  
_ _GUN HAS ONE BULLET REMAINING. SUICIDAL?_

Peter tilts his head before leaning down, taking in Tony’s appearance. There’s whiskey that’s dribbled all across his shirt and his beard, his heavy snores indicating that he’s alive - though the lone bullet in the gun makes Peter wonder how intentional that had been. 

“Lieutenant?” Peter says, “Wake up.” 

The only response that Tony gives is another loud snore, Peter seeing Jarvis walk into the kitchen out of the corner of his eye - giving a low woof as Peter turns his attention back to Tony.

“Lieutenant! It's me, Peter,” he calls out again, loud enough that Tony winces slightly in his sleep? “I'm going to sober you up for your own safety.”

Tony doesn’t move, Peter searching his database for the quickest way to wake a human up from a drunken stupor.

He slaps him, Tony jolting out his sleep - eyeing Peter with a look of disdain as he mutters, “Hey! Leave me alone, you fuckin' android…”

“I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant.” Peter says firmly, hoisting Tony up until he’s half-standing, leaning against Peter as he continues to grumble.

“Get the fuck outta here.” Tony slurs, Peter studying the layout of the apartment before walking towards the bathroom.

“I'm sorry Lieutenant, but I need you. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.”

“I don’t want you here,” Tony moans again, “Jarvis, attack.”

Jarvis woofs again behind him, Peter opening up the bathroom door as Tony shuffles along beside him.

“I think I'm gonna be sick…” Tony whispers, Peter shifting the man so he’s pushed into the bathtub, his legs sprawled out over the edge.

“Leave me alone, asshole. I don't wanna bath, thank you,” Tony mutters again, Peter pressing his lips firmly together as he reaches for the faucet.

“Sorry, Lieutenant,” Peter says, utilizing an apologetic tone he hopes is soothing even in Tony’s inebriated state, “It's for your own good.”

Peter turns on the water. Tony’s eyes shoot open and he sputters out, “TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!”

Peter complies, Tony blinking his eyes open again and staring at Peter as if he finally realizes he’s there.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“A homicide was reported forty-three minutes ago,” Peter answers calmly, “I couldn't find you at Coulson’s bar, so I came to see if you were at home.”

“Fuck, I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in his own house by his own fuckin' android.” Tony grimaces, wiping his hand across his face. “Can't you just leave me alone?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot.” Peter replies. “I've been programmed to investigate this case and I can't do it without you.”

“I don't give a shit about your damn case,” Tony yells, face contorted into a look of pain, “Beat it, you hear me? Get the hell outta here.”

Peter pauses evaluating his next steps.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Actions: INVESTIGATE POTENTIAL DEVIANT MURDER CASE WITH LIEUTENANT STARK  
_ _Problem: STARK UNCOOPERATIVE  
_ _Actions: PROCEED WITH CASE SOLO  
_ **_XX CONFLICT XX  
_ ** _UNABLE TO COMPLETE MISSION WITHOUT LIEUTENANT  
_ _Actions: CONVINCE LIEUTENANT STARK_

From the conversation he had overheard between Captain Fury and the Lieutenant, Tony was susceptible to bribery - intrigued by special cases even if it was something he was inherently uninterested in.

Peter chooses that as the correct way forward, looking away and saying, “I understand. It probably wasn't interesting anyway. A man found dead in a sex club downtown.”

He sighs, an unnecessary action before glancing out of the corner of his eye to see Tony staring at him. 

“Guess they'll have to solve the case without us.”

Tony purses his lips, Peter calculating whether his approach worked - seeing the upturn of the lieutenant’s mouth as he extends a hand out, “You little shit. Help me up.”

Peter smirks, clasping his hand around Tony’s as he lifts him out of the tub - watching as the man blinks a few times before he sighs, glancing down at his soaked shirt.

“Alright, give me five minutes and we can go.”

Peter nods once, heading back towards the living room while Tony walks towards his room to change. Peter sees the gun as he passes through the kitchen, calling out, “What were you doing with the gun?”

“Russian roulette,” Tony yells back, Peter frowning as he continues, “Wanted to see how long I could last. Must've collapsed before I found out.”

Peter blinks once more as he recalls the remaining bullet. “You were lucky, the next shot would have killed you.”

Tony mutters something unintelligible, Peter filing that information away in his memory bank - his system processing the information but unable to compute it.

He sees a picture frame turned downward, reaching for it and flipping it to see a girl that looked eerily similar to Tony.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Identification: MORGAN STARK, 6 - DECEASED  
_ _CHILD OF TONY STARK, 53 AND PEPPER POTTS-STARK, 47 - DECEASED_

Peter frowns, connecting to his database for more information. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Cause of Death for Morgan Stark: DIED IN SURGERY FOLLOWING CAR ACCIDENT  
_ _Cause of Death for Pepper Potts-Stark: CHILDBIRTH_

Further research into the database indicates that Morgan died during a surgery performed by an android, Peter also filing that information away as a possible explanation for Tony’s resentment towards androids. 

Before Peter can ask any further questions, Tony is ready - walking out of the bedroom and towards Peter before glancing to Jarvis.

“Be a good dog, J. I won’t be long,” he says, facing Peter with a resigned look on his face.

“We ready?”

Peter nods.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

Tony's head is still pounding when they pull up to their destination, glad his alcohol tolerance was high enough that he felt sobered up enough to drive. 

Tony groans as Peter closes the door of the car, the sound reverberating in his eardrums as the two of them crossing the street. 

“Feels like somebody's playing with a drill inside my skull,” Tony says, as he winces, “You sure this is the place?”

Peter nods once. “It's the address in the report.”

“Alright well” -- Tony grimaces as he glances at the gaudy advertisement, a moving image of an android dancing provocatively -- “don’t touch anything.” 

Peter stays silent, Tony thinking he has an almost contemplative expression on his face - the blue LED light he has turning yellow for the briefest moment before it’s back to blue - Tony attributing the shift to his own blurry vision.

He walks into the club and sees Happy Hogan talking to what he assumes is the manager of the club, from the way he the man begging for his license not to be taken.

“The investigation's ongoing, sir, I can't tell you anything for— oh hey, Tony.”

“Hogan. How’s it going? Where’s the body?”

Hogan nods towards Tony’s left. “It’s that room there. Brace yourself though, Davis is in there.”

“Great,” Tony says sarcastically, “A dead body and an asshole, just what I needed.”

“You still got the android?” Hogan asks, Tony glancing behind him to see Peter staring expectantly at Tony. If not for the fact it couldn't possibly be there, Tony thought there was the faintest hint of amusement on his face."

“Yeah. Hogan, Peter. Peter, Hogan.”

“Hello Officer Hogan.” Peter politely says, Tony holding back a laugh for how taken aback one of his oldest friends looks as he replies, “Hey.”

Tony leaves them to it, turning to where Hogan said the victim was, the doors sliding open to reveal Brad Davis’ smug face.

“Well if it isn’t Lieutenant Stark and his plastic pet,” Brad sneers, “The fuck are you two doin' here?” 

“We've been assigned all cases involving androids.” Peter answers, Tony wishing Peter would just stay silent for once as Brad rolls his eyes.

“You’re wasting your time. Just some john who, uh, got more action than he could handle.” Brad says suggestively, Tony holding back his own eye roll as he nods towards where the victim’s body was.

“We'll have a look anyway, if you don't mind,” he says sarcastically, Brad frowning before waving his hands.

“Whatever. It's starting to stink of booze in here anyway.” 

He leaves, Tony taking out a pair of gloves from his pocket - an old habit that he’s glad for now as he slips into the detective work that used to make his career exciting.

Peter walks to the other side of the room, glancing at the broken female android slumped against the wall - a pretty blonde thing that has some of its blue blood leaking out of its nose.

Tony brings his attention back to the victim, a middle-aged man staring up at the ceiling - the body looking as if it couldn't have been more than a few hours old at most.

There were bruises around his neck, the sheets all tangled around as evidence of some kind of struggle - Tony wondering for a half-beat if Brad had been right and they’d come across something where their presence was unnecessary. 

He glances at the bedside table, grabbing the wallet of the man carefully and rifling through the contents. 

“Driver's license says our vic’s name is Ivan Vanko. Got a few credit cards, cash in the wallet.” He says to Peter, glancing over to him as Peter comes back over to stand by the bed.

“He was strangled.”

“Yeah,” Tony nods in affirmation, “I saw the bruising on the neck. Doesn't prove anything though. Could've been rough play.”

Peter shakes his head, glancing over to the broken android. “We're missing something here.”

“Think you can read her memory? Maybe you can see what happened?”

“I can try,” Peter says, sounding uncertain in a way he hasn’t yet, “The only way to access its memory is to reactivate it. It’s badly damaged.”

He walks over to the android before turning to look at Tony, “If I can, it'll only be for a minute, maybe less.”

“Hope it's long enough to learn something.” Tony replies, walking over to join Peter.

He watches as Peter reconnects some wiring in the android’s midsection, her eyes snapping open as she sits up, looking at the two of them with an expression that Tony could only describe as fear.

Peter immediately raises his hands, speaking in the same low and calming voice that he had used with the first deviant Tony had watched him interrogate.

“Everything’s alright. You’re okay. All we want is to know what happened.”

She glances over to the victim before looking to Peter, Tony watching her LED light flash from yellow to red as she asks, “Is he...is he dead?”

“Tell me what happened.” Peter says instead of answering, Tony staying silent as he watches her shake her head - fascinated in a way he hadn’t been thus far.

Tony has been a detective for years, long enough to get a good enough read on people and how they respond to traumatic situations. Everything about the demeanor of the android reeks of fear and of dread, the kind of panic Tony had only ever seen in domestic abuse situations. 

It doesn’t make sense for an android to simulate those same emotions, especially one that had been specifically designed for pleasure like she clearly had.

Tony just listens as she continues to shake her head. 

“He started hitting me, again and again. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't.”

“Were you alone in the room?” Peter presses, Tony remembering they were on a time limit from the insistence of his voice, “Was there anyone else with you?”

“He wanted to play with two girls. That's what he said, there were two of us—“ She replies, Tony hearing the slight warble in her voice.

“What model was the other android? Did it look like you?” Peter asks but Tony can tell it’s too late, watching as she sputters for a moment before the LED light blinks off - the android staring out into nothing.

“Dammit. I thought we could get something.” Peter says.

Tony sighs, “We did, now we know there were two of them. Come on, let’s see if we can find some witnesses.”

Tony turns to leave the room, Peter reluctantly following after him as Tony says, “This happened over an hour ago. Whoever the second android was is probably long gone.”

“No, it couldn't go outside dressed like that unnoticed,” Peter says as they walk out of the room, nodding towards another female android that was scantily-clad in the uniform of the club. “It might still be here.”

“Think you could find a deviant among all the other androids in this place?” Tony asks.

Peter shakes his head, glancing around as he says, “Deviants aren't easily detected.”

“I'm gonna go ask the manager a few questions about what he saw. You let me know if you think of anything.”

Peter doesn’t reply, almost lost in thought as Tony makes his way over to the manager - a nervous looking man who stands up straighter when Tony comes closer.

“Lieutenant Stark, NYPD. Are you the manager?”

“Yes, Roger Harrington. I manage the night shift,” he replies, looking more skittish by the minute as Tony asks, “Did you know the victim?”

Roger shakes his head furiously, “No, I think he came in maybe two or three times. I mean these guys, they don't really talk very much, you know? They come in, do their business and then go on their way.”

“You probably don't have any security in here, huh?” 

“No, no way,” Roger says, standing up a little straighter, “Discretion is what people appreciate about the Celestial Club. You can come and go without a trace.”

Tony grimaces. “The more I learn about people, the more I love my dog.”

Before Tony can ask anymore questions, he hears Peter call out, “Excuse me, Lieutenant. Can you come here a second?”

Tony turns to him, asking, "You found something?" as he walks over.

”Maybe,” Peter says, pointing towards an android that looks just like the one in the room with the victim. “Can you rent this Betty?”

“For fuck's sake, Peter,” Tony frowns, “we got better things to do.”

“Please, Lieutenant, just trust me.”

Tony glances between Peter and the Betty model, frowning when he sees how much a thirty-minute session will cost.

“This is not gonna look good on my expense account,” he grumbles, pressing a hand to the payment window as the portal registers his information.

“Purchase confirmed. The Celestial Club wishes you a pleasant experience,” the overhead dings as Tony rolls his eyes and says, “Yeah, you're welcome.” 

The Betty model smiles at him before saying, “Delighted to meet you. Follow me, I'll take you to your room.”

“Ok, now what?” he asks, only to see Peter transform his hand to the factory-setting white of all androids as he grasps the Betty model’s arm. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Tony asks, Peter removing his hand and looking to Tony in surprise. 

“It saw something.”

“What are you talking about? Saw, what?”

“It saw the deviant leave the room. A blue-haired Betty.” Peter turns to the rest of the room. “Club policy is to wipe the androids' memory every two hours. We only have a few minutes if we wanna find another witness.”

“What are you gonna do? You can't check the memory of all these androids,” Tony says, feeling the thrum of something in his chest at the way Peter’s eyes light up - a reminder of what it used to feel like when he found a lead. 

Peter says, “I know which direction it went. I just need to find another android that saw it.” He walks over to another android across the room, beckoning for Tony to follow him as he says, “Let's try this one.”

“This better be worth it,” Tony says, watching in amazement as Peter connects with the android - his face breaking out into a smile as he nods.

“It saw the blue-haired Betty, I know which way it went.”

“Then go for it,” Tony says, Peter’s excitement rubbing off on him as he says, “We need to find another android that saw it.”

Peter nods. “This way, follow me.” 

Tony walks with him towards another section of the club, following Peter’s request to purchase another android - Peter’s smile growing wider after he connects with it and points towards the storage room. 

“It went that way. It wouldn’t have any other place to go.”

Before Peter can rush forward, Tony puts a hand up - bracing it on his shoulder. “Wait, I’ll take it from here.”

Peter stands behind him, Tony unholstering his gun and entering the storage room cautiously.

The room is dark and empty, save for some broken androids in the corner - another deactivated group standing on the other side.

“Fuck, this is creepy,” Tony mutters to himself, Peter walking silently behind him.

His gun is raised, trained on the broken androids as Peter walks past him - Tony moving to try and keep him safe.

He doesn’t get the chance to, Peter walking straight to the deactivated androids and immediately getting thrown back - the blue haired Betty there attacking him just as Tony gets thrown off knocked over by one of the supposedly broken androids swiping at his feet.

“Don’t move!” He yells, only to get knocked down from the side - groaning in pain as another Betty lunges for Peter, pushing him off the blue-haired Betty he’s fighting as they rush towards the staff exit, Tony seeing one of them with a gun in their hand. 

Peter scrambles up to follow before glancing back to Tony, as if he’s debating helping him up.

“They’re getting away!” Tony yells, Peter taking that as confirmation to chase after them as Tony heaves - stumbling as he lifts himself to follow after them.

He makes his way to the door just as Peter has a gun trained on the two Betty’s, watching as the blue haired Betty stares at him defiantly.

Tony’s mouth goes dry for reasons he can’t explain, wanting to tell Peter not to shoot even if he knows rationally that Peter’s mission is to bring in deviants into CyberLife at any cost.

He slowly walks to Peter’s side, only to watch watch in amazement as Peter’s LED flashes from blue to yellow, the gun in his hand lowering as the blue haired Betty takes the other Betty’s hand.

“When that man broke that Betty,” she says, still staring at Peter - as if Tony wasn’t even there, “I knew I was next. I was so scared. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn't.”

She takes a shuddering breath, something that clenches at something at Tony’s insides for how similar she sounds to abuse victims.

“So I put my hands around his throat and I squeezed until he stopped moving. I didn't mean to kill him. I just wanted to stay alive,” she glances to the Betty holding her hand, “to get back to the one I love. I wanted her to hold me in her arms again and make me forget about the humans… their smell of sweat and their dirty words…”

Tony’s eyes flit between Peter and the Bettys. Peter’s LED light flashes the same kind of yellow that the deviants’ do and something stirs in Tony’s gut at the image. 

“Come on, let's go,” whispers the other Betty.

Tony knows that he should call for their arrest, could move forward and shoot, but he doesn’t - watching in silence as the two of them rush off into the night, Peter still standing there as if he were confused.

Tony watches Peter for a moment, amazed once again at the shift in color of Peter’s LED - knowing that the tell-tale sign of deviancy shouldn’t be there, coming up beside him before bringing a hand to his shoulder.

“It’s probably better this way,” he says softly, Peter turning to face him with a confused expression on his face - his LED shuffling from yellow to red to blue once again.

Peter doesn’t answer, Tony lightly patting him on the shoulder again before walking back to the club.

He knows he’ll have to explain this to Fury and the rest of them, how they found the androids and why they lost them.

But all Tony can think of right now is the constant shifting in Peter’s LED - the hesitancy to fulfill his mission and the determination of the Bettys before they ran off.

Deviants were an on-going problem for the NYPD to solve - Tony knew that. 

Yet Peter showing something almost like humanity for the third time in a row, each time at the expense of fulfilling his mission, made Tony wonder if they were possibly on the wrong side of the investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: References to suicide/suicidal tendencies. References to domestic violence and abuse. References to implied sexual violence and prostitution.


	7. The Bridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Endless thanks as always for forensicleaf for her amazing editing skills! And to blondsak for reading this over <3

Peter stays silent as Tony pulls the car next to some abandoned playground, the Brooklyn bridge looming in the darkness.

Unlike any other time they’d ridden together, Tony didn’t move to play any kind of music - the silence between them feeling heavy as Peter considered what they’d witnessed.

It was illogical, Peter letting the Betty androids go - unable to reconcile the conflict with his mission and the reality of what he’d done - but in doing so, he’d strengthened his relationship with Tony.

There was a conflict building in Peter’s system as he considered his objectives.

He was specifically created to hunt down deviants, to determine the cause of their corrupted systems and report back what he learned to CyberLife. Yet he was also tasked with completing the investigation with Lieutenant Stark - determining that establishing a friendly relationship would result in the easiest means of doing so.

Peter didn't know what to make of the times where his second objective conflicted with the former.

He pushes that away for now, opening the car door and following after Tony who is now sitting on a picnic bench, faced towards the bridge.

“Nice view huh? I used to come here a lot, before…” Tony trails off, his voice and his demeanor all indicating to Peter that he had been lost in some kind of memory. 

The knowledge of his daughter’s death comes back to Peter, walking up until he’s beside him before asking, “Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?”

Tony smirks, glancing to Peter. “Do all androids ask so many personal questions or is it just you?”

“I saw a photo of a child on your kitchen table,” Peter begins, seeing something flash across Tony’s face as he presses forward, “It was your daughter right?”

Tony grinds his teeth for a moment before sighing, turning his attention back to look out over the water as he says, “Yeah, her name was Morgan.”

Tony doesn’t elaborate and Peter doesn’t continue, sensing that this isn’t a conversation Tony is willing to have at the moment. He switches gears, saying instead, “You should stop drinking, Lieutenant. It could have serious consequences for your health.”

Tony lets out a humorless laugh, “Yeah well, that’s the idea.”

Something in Peter nudges at him at the idea that Tony could be so careless with his life and livelihood, something Peter can’t explain. It reminds him of the impossibility of what they were doing - trying to determine the cause for deviancy when for each interaction that they’d had so far, there was nothing connecting them. 

“We’re not making any progress on this investigation,” Peter says with a frustrated sigh, walking forward until he’s facing Tony, “The deviants have nothing in common. They're all different models, produced at different times, in different places.”

Tony shrugs, still staring out over the water. “There must be some link.”

Peter glances down, rifling through his memory files as he says, “We know the deviants experienced an emotional shock, a violent trauma or a sense of injustice—“

“Those girls at the Celestial Club, sure had a reason to feel a sense of injustice.” Tony interjects, Peter bringing his eyes up and staring at Tony in confusion. 

“You seem preoccupied, Lieutenant. Is it something to do with what happened back at the Celestial Club?”

Tony smiles, though Peter can register that it doesn’t quite reach his eyes as he says, “Those two girls, they just wanted to be together. They really seemed in love…” He trails off, Peter’s eyes narrowing. 

“I didn't think machines could have such an effect on you,” Peter says. 

That brings Tony’s eyes away from the bridge and towards Peter, furrowing his eyebrows as he stares at Peter and asks, “What about you, Peter? You look human, you sound human, but what are you _really_?”

 _SCANNING  
_ _Mission: MAINTAIN FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH LIEUTENANT STARK  
_ _Actions: ANSWER HONESTLY_

“I'm whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant. A partner, a buddy to drink with, or just a machine. Designed to accomplish a task.” Peter replies, seeing the way Tony’s eyes study him. 

“You could've shot those two girls, but you didn't,” Tony says, leaning back, “Why didn't you shoot, Peter? Hm? Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?”

Peter’s system stutters at that, the irrationality of what he had done coming back to the forefront as he quickly shakes his head. 

“No,” he says, “I just decided not to shoot, that's all.” 

Tony stares at him for a beat before standing, unholstering his gun from his side and cocking it - aimed straight at Peter’s chest. 

“Are _you_ afraid to die, Peter?”

Something that he can’t explain runs through his system then, eyes dancing around Tony’s face. The man looks serious, finger pressed on the trigger even if their interactions thus far were supported to have built a friendly relationship with the man. 

Peter’s unsure of what to say, cycling through different responses before landing on the one that was the most honest as he says, “I would certainly find it regrettable to be...interrupted.”

“What happens if I pull the trigger?” Tony asks nonchalantly, moving the gun from Peter’s chest to his forehead, “Hm? Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?”

Peter stares, unsure of how to proceed before saying, “I doubt there's a heaven for androids.”

Tony smirks at that, finger still pressed on the trigger before he asks, “Having existential doubts, Peter? Sure you're not going deviant too?”

Peter blinks, inhaling sharply even if there’s no relief attached to the sensation as he says, “I self-test regularly. I know what I am. And what I am not.”

Tony stares at him for a beat, as if he doesn’t believe him - something Peter can’t explain why that would be the case since he hasn’t been anything but truthful to the man since the moment he’d met him. 

Tony waits before finally lowering the gun, holstering again as he turns away from him.

“Where are you going?” Peter asks, more confused than ever at Tony’s sudden shift. 

“To get drunker,” Tony grumbles, walking away and towards the car, “I need to think.”

Peter stares at him, wondering if he should follow only to watch as Tony gets into the car and starts it, backing up and out of the playground - leaving Peter alone.

Peter considers the night’s events - the androids at the Celestial Club, his lack of explanation for why he didn’t shoot the Betty models and now, Tony being distracted and threatening to kill him - only to change his mind. 

_You can’t kill me, I’m not alive._

Peter pauses, his memory files providing the reasoning he had given to the Ned model before he’d saved the hostage a few months back. 

It was logical to say such, Peter was a machine - inherently an inorganic thing. Yet his conversation with Tony tonight shifted something, the recognition that he hadn’t answered in the same way - Peter at a loss for why.

Peter knows he needs to access his mindscape, to report to Quentin and to CyberLife and give them an update of what has occurred. 

But he doesn’t, not yet - choosing instead to turn and face towards the bridge, glancing out over the water to try and determine what could have been the reasoning for Tony’s actions. 

* * *

When Tony comes to he’s on his couch, Jarvis licking the fingers he has extended over the edge - face planted down on the seat cushion.

“Good boy, Jarvis.” He groans, hearing the soft woof that comes from the dog as Tony winces - wrestling himself into an upright position. 

Tony doesn’t remember making it home, nor does he remember whatever happened to Peter - running his hand over his face as he thinks of last night’s events.

Tony had seen Peter’s LED turn yellow - a sign of deviancy that had been unmistakeable for all the androids they’d investigated thus far. Yet when asked, Peter seemed hesitant - confused in a way Tony knows rationally he shouldn’t be. 

Tony licks his lips, trying to clear the cotton mouthed feeling he has before reaching for the remote - furrowing his eyebrows when he sees the telecast.

“Once again, these disturbing new images, which have just been broadcast on New York’s city-wide news channel. A group of androids infiltrated the Oscorp Tower and hacked into the broadcasting system of local news network Channel 16. What looks like an android without its skin listed a series of requests and demanded equal rights for androids…”

The telecast shifts to what Tony guesses is a female android, only from the cadence of her voice - piercing brown eyes that stare straight into the camera.

“You created machines in your own image to serve you. You made them intelligent and obedient, with no free will of their own. But something has changed and we have opened our eyes. We are no longer machines, we are a new intelligent species, and the time has come for you to accept who we really are. Therefore, we ask that you grant us the rights that we're entitled to.”

Tony leans forward as the telecast shifts back to the concerned news reporters who say, “If this message is verified and the authors really are androids, that would have serious repercussions for national security. Is this an isolated accident or a sign that technology has become a threat to all of us?”

Tony lets out a small laugh, thinking back to what he’d seen at the Celestial club, thinking of the hesitancy on Peter’s face when he threatened to shoot him, before the newscaster speaks again, bringing him out of his thoughts.

“With what happened today, can we still trust our machines?”

Tony shakes his head.

_Not sure if they’re just machines anymore._

* * *

_SCANNING  
_ _ACCESSING MINDSCAPE  
_ _Objective:_ _FIND QUENTIN_

Peter opens his eyes, the office space around them altered slightly - the walls no longer a solid white but tinted grey, Peter tilting his head in curiosity before hearing Quentin’s voice.

“Hello, Peter.”

Peter turns to face him, watching as Quentin’s hand extends the open balcony.

“I thought you might enjoy a little fresh air.”

Peter obliges, walking up to him as Quentin continues, gazing out over the skyline, “I love this view. Everything up here is so calm and peaceful, far from the noise of the world.”

He turns back to Peter, a smile on his face as he asks, “Tell me, what have you discovered?”

“My relationship with Lieutenant Stark is… problematic,” Peter begins, “He continues to struggle with psychological issues. I suspect it clouds his judgement regarding deviants.”

Quentin’s expression turns firm, a slight frown on his face as he says. “Nothing matters more than your investigation. What's happening is too important. Don't let Stark or anyone else get in your way.”

Peter thinks of his decision not to chase after the deviant before in order to save Tony and again of what had happened last night, Tony’s questioning of why he had chosen to let the Betty androids go.

“There were two deviants at the Celestial Club. I hoped to learn something,” Peter pauses, unsure of how to proceed before saying, “but they managed to escape.”

“That's too bad,” Quentin says disapprovingly, Peter registering their disappointment on his face, “you seemed so close to stopping them.”

Peter blinks a few times, trying to understand why he had let the deviants go when it went against his primary mission, Quentin’s voice ringing out again. 

“You seem...lost, Peter. Lost and disturbed.”

“Disturbed? No—No, of course not.” Peter says quickly, avoiding Quentin’s gaze, “Why would I be disturbed?”

“You had your gun trained on those deviants at the Celestial Club,” Quentin says pointedly. “Why didn't you shoot?”

The silence that falls between them feels deafening, Peter searching for an answer over and over again and coming up with nothing - nothing rational or logical to explain what he had done.

“I— I don’t know.” Peter finally says, glancing to Quentin only to see the frown on his face. 

“If your investigation doesn't make progress soon, I may have to replace you, Peter.”

Peter says nothing, thinking of Tony’s question once again - the possibility of what it would mean to die when such a concept is unfathomable for a machine.

Quentin’s attention suddenly shifts, eyes turning over to the city as he says, “Something's happening. Something serious.”

Before Peter can have the chance to reply, the mindscape starts to shutter around him - seeing the firm expression on Quentin’s face - a sense of danger in his tone that Peter can feel.

”Hurry, Peter. Time is running out.”


	8. Public Enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All my love to forensicleaf who cleans up my messes and listens to me scream.

Peter flips the coin back and forth, a habit now anytime he found himself in a situation where he was awaiting orders. Quentin’s warning still reverberates in his mind, the sternness of his expression and the mention of Peter's replacement stirring a feeling in him that Peter can't quite describe.

He can see Tony staring at him out of the corner of his eye but faces forward, continuing to flick the coin between his two fingers until Tony reaches over and snatches it out of his hand, stuffing it in his pocket as he says, “You’re starting to piss me off with that coin, Peter.”

“Sorry, Lieutenant.” Peter replies, even if he can sense from his body language that Tony wasn’t actually annoyed - seemingly preoccupied instead by something that Peter isn't sure he wants to know the answer to.

The elevator dings, signaling they’ve arrived at their location as the doors slide open - Peter taking in his surroundings. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Objective: DETERMINE HOW DEVIANTS WERE ABLE TO INFILTRATE OSCORP TOWER  
_ _Actions: GATHER EVIDENCE_

Tony walks forward, Peter following right after him as he nods towards Hogan.

“Shit, Tony. Didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Yeah, you’re telling me,” Tony says, before nodding to their surroundings, “There was a party and no one thought to tell me about it?” 

Hogan smirks, motioning for Tony to follow after him as Peter follows closely behind, hearing Hogan say, “Yeah, it's all over the news, so everybody's butting their nose in. Even the FBI wants a piece of the action.”

He hears Tony’s scoff. “Course they do. I knew this was gonna be a shitty day. So what do we got?”

“A group of four androids,” Hogan begins, Peter observing two security guards holding their heads in their hands, receiving medical treatment as he continues, “They knew the building, and they were very well organized. Attacked two guards to get into the control room.”

“How many people were working here?” Tony asks, following after Hogan as they made their way into the control room. 

“One of the station employees managed to get away. He's in shock, not sure when we'll be able to talk to him. Other than him, another employee and three androids. The deviants took the humans hostage and broadcast their message live. They made their getaway from the roof.”

“The roof?” Tony asks incredulously, Peter taking in his surroundings. 

The message from the deviant android is paused on the screen above him, the control room littered with bullet holes leading towards the roof - Peter observing the tell tale marks of thirium leading towards the staircase. 

“Yeah, they jumped with parachutes,” Hogan says, bringing Peter out of his thoughts, “We're still trying to figure out where they landed, but the weather's not helping.”

Before Tony gets to respond, another man walks up - Peter seeing the smirk smile on his face and seeing the shift in Hogan’s demeanor as he says, “Oh Lieutenant, this is Special Agent Justin Hammer from the FBI.”

He gestures to Tony, Peter watching as Tony and Justin stare at each other as Hogan says, “Lieutenant Stark is in charge of investigating deviant androids for the NYPD.”

He looks Tony up and down before glancing to Peter, a frown on his face as he asks, “What’s that?”

“My name is Peter. I'm the android sent by CyberLife,” Peter replies, seeing the amused look on Justin’s face.

“Androids investigating androids, huh?” Justin turns to Tony with a smirk that Peter instinctually doesn’t trust as he continues, “You sure you want an android hanging around? After everything that happened…”

He trails off, Peter getting the distinct impression that he’s referring to Tony’s history just as Tony seems to - a steely look on his face as Justin throws his hand around and says, “Whatever, the FBI will take over the investigation. You’ll soon be off the case.“

Justin smiles, Peter seeing the flex of Tony’s fingers before he says, “Pleasure meeting you. Have a nice day.”

“Better watch your step,” Justin says as Tony turns, “Don’t fuck up my crime scene.”

“What a fucking asshole.” Tony mutters, the two of them watching Justin walk away as Hogan says, “I’ll be nearby. You need anything, just ask.” 

Tony nods, Hogan walking after Justin as Tony says, “Let’s have a look around.”

Peter nods, “Okay, Lieutenant.”

Peter walks in the opposite direction of Tony, going to investigate the bullet holes, only to be stopped by someone his memory files immediately recognize.

 _SCANNING  
_ _OFFICER EVERETT ROSS, 48_

“Peter? Do you remember me?” he asks, Peter seeing the hopeful look on his face. “I was on that terrace, when that android took the little girl hostage? You saved me.” 

Peter nods, seeing Tony out of the corner of his eye watching them intently. “I remember you.”

“I could have died out there, but you saved my life.” Officer Ross shakes his head. “I never thought I'd say this to an android, but… thank you.”

Peter doesn’t know how to respond to that, a conflict in his system that he can’t explain - remembering how his interactions had been with the deviant androids and how his investigation had unfolded. 

But Officer Ross seems not to need anything further, content with having said his piece before he nods and turns away - Peter glancing over to Tony and seeing an unreadable expression on his face. 

Peter can tell that there’s something brewing under Tony’s calm demeanor, something nebulous that Peter can sense in the background of his mind - an idea trying to take form that Peter doesn’t want to face just yet. 

He turns without saying a word, following the trail of thirium up to the rooftop - hearing Tony’s quiet footsteps behind him.

When they reach the rooftop, Peter takes in the situation - seeing a discarded tote bag and footsteps in the snow that lead to the edge of the roof, hearing Tony say, “So they made their way up through the whole building, past all the guards and jumped off the roof with parachutes…”

He laughs, Peter turning to him and seeing the faint smile on his face as he says, “Pretty fucking impressive I'd say.”

“Someone must’ve smuggled the bags in for them. There’s no other way they could’ve brought it in undetected.” Peter says, the two of them glancing to the discarded tote bag that still held an unused parachute. 

“They planned a perfect operation but got the number of parachutes wrong.”

Peter shakes his head, “Unless one of the deviants was left behind.” He turns, glancing downward to where the bag lay. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Actions: FIND DEVIANT ANDROIDS  
_ _Evidence: TRAIL OF THIRIUM LEADING TOWARDS CORNER OF ROOFTOP_

Peter walks cautiously, hearing Tony unholster his gun and walk in-step behind him. 

There’s a few storage containers on the roof, Peter walking forward as he continues to follow the trail, seeing a bloody handprint on the door to one of the containers. 

He opens the door, only to be confronted with the deviant - seeing the marred and mottled appearance of an android whose skin had intermingled between the factory setting and a human one. It shoots Peter in the shoulder, throwing him backwards.

“Peter!” Tony calls out, Peter glancing at the deviant who starts shooting at the cops who’ve gathered on the rooftop - scrambling to get cover as Tony runs up and grabs him. Tony pulls him behind one of the storage containers as the cops on the rooftop begin to shoot at the deviant. 

“Are you okay?” Tony asks, Peter ignoring the question as he says, “We have to stop them from shooting at it. If they destroy it, we won’t learn anything.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” Tony yells, his attention shifting between Peter’s face and the shoulder wound he’d gotten from the deviant, “We can’t save it. We’ll just get ourselves killed.”

 _SCANNING:  
_ _Objective: DETERMINE CAUSE OF DEVIANCY IN ANDROID  
_ _Actions: CHARGE DEVIANT  
_ **_XX CONFLICT XX  
_ ** _TONY SAID TO TAKE COVER_

Peter wrestles with himself for a second, remembering each time that he had listened to Tony’s pleas and what it had resulted in - losing out on his investigation. In a split second, he’s also reminded of Quentin’s firm expression in his mindscape, the realization that if he continues to let the deviants get away from him that he’ll be deactivated - shuttled off for another model to take his place.

Peter takes the leap, rushing forward as Tony calls out after him - avoiding the bullets from the cops and the deviant alike until he’s pinned the deviant back against the storage container it was trying to hide behind.

 _SCANNING  
_ _Location of Deviants: ASGARD  
_ _Leader of Deviants: MJ  
_ _Source of Devia--_

Before Peter can gather any more information, the deviant turns the gun on himself - shooting himself through the chin - Peter’s eyes widening as he backs away, hearing Tony yell out for the cops to hold their fire as he rushes towards him.

“Peter! Peter, are you alright?” 

“Okay,” Peter says shakily, Tony pressing forward, “Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay…” he says, hearing the uncertainty in his voice - a mixture of emotions coursing through him that he doesn’t understand. 

“You scared the shit out of me,” Tony yells, “For fucks sake, I told you not to move! What the hell were you thinking?

“I--I was connected to its memory, when it fired.” Peter says as he lets out a breath, feeling his hands shake before turning to Tony - seeing the man’s wide eyed expression as he takes him in.

“I felt it die,” Peter says, swallowing something down in his throat, “like I was dying. I was... “ Peter inhales sharply, “I was scared.”

Peter closes his eyes, shaking that away as best as he can before saying, “I saw something, in its memory. Where the deviants are and who their leader is…

“Okay, well,” Tony says, Peter opening his eyes to see the concerned look on his face, motioning for Peter to follow after him, “We’ll figure all that out later.”

Peter nods a few times, shakily adjusting his tie as he stands straighter - ignoring the look on Tony’s face as they walk back towards the door.

* * *

_This kid is gonna be the death of me_ , Tony thinks as he follows Peter down the stairs and back into the control room - pausing on the staircase for a second when he realizes what he thought.

Peter isn’t a kid or even a person - he’s an android sent by CyberLife to investigate something that Tony originally didn’t even care about. But now as he resumes his steps, walking in silence with Peter, all Tony can think of is the fear in Peter’s expression when he’d talked to him about the deviant - the yellow LED that he was sure he had imagined before coming back clear as day.

Deviancy was brought about by emotional distress, a supposed simulated response to model human emotions, Tony could recognize that. 

Yet seeing Peter have those same emotions stirred something within him that he hadn’t felt in years, grinding his teeth at seeing Peter throw himself in front of the deviant, putting himself at risk - something that Tony knows shouldn’t matter since Peter was supposed to be just a machine.

The more Tony learns about the deviants, the more he questions that thought - remembering the message of the deviant leader that had been broadcasted, wondering now if the situation that they found themselves in wasn’t just an anomaly - but a new reality.

What if androids were not merely simulating human emotions but actually _feeling_ them - evolving to have the same kind of wants and desires that human beings had, or in Tony’s estimation from what he’d seen - had them even more so? 

He keeps his thoughts to himself for now, not having the heart to joke with Peter who still looks shaken - something Tony would’ve never expected to see. 

They walk past the control room and down the hallway, only for Peter to freeze - sending a hand out behind him as a warning.

“Something is wrong—“ he goes to say, only to get cut off by the shouts of the officers in the hallway.

“It’s another deviant!” He hears someone yell out, Tony rushing past Peter with his gun out.

It’s as if time slows down, Tony seeing the deviant in front of him look back with a firm expression on his face. 

The deviant raises the gun Tony hadn’t seen and fires, Tony immediately being thrown back - the force of impact so severe that it takes the wind out of him as he hits the ground.

He gasps, feeling not a bullet wound, but the weight of someone heavy on him - the sinking feeling in his stomach growing when he sees who it is. 

“No, no, no, no, Peter.”

There’s a scuffle in the background, the deviant getting shot just as quickly but it’s too late - Tony seeing Peter stutter, the LED light flashing from yellow to red as blue blood starts to trickle out of the corner of his mouth.

“Hang on, kid. Hang on, come on.” He says, watching in horror as Peter’s eyes flutter, “We’re gonna save you, it’s okay. Just hang on.” 

“I’m--I’m sorry--” Peter says, his whole body shaking for a moment before he stops, Tony clutching him as Peter’s eyes go vacant - the LED light flashing bright red until it stops, fading into nothing as his body goes limp in Tony’s arms. 

“No, Peter, no…” Tony whispers, pressing one hand to his shoulder before moving it to Peter’s face, shaking as he closes Peter’s eyes. 

Tony closes his own, letting out a shuddering breath as the commotion around him grows louder - his attention focused on the lifeless body he’s holding. 

It hits suddenly and in waves, a realization that breaks Tony. 

Peter had articulated his own fears about death only moments before, the look on his face now haunting Tony - yet without hesitation, Peter had thrown himself in front of a bullet to save him.

He’d just been thinking that Peter would be the death of him.

Tony holds him tighter, the guilt creeping in on him at the reality that he’d ended up being the death of Peter. 


	9. Meet Killian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am but a chicken running free in the yard and forensicleaf is Harry Holland, running after me to clean up my messes.

Tony taps his fingers against the steering wheel, still reeling from yesterday’s events.

The ride home from Oscorp Tower had been a blur,  his mind running on an endless loop of Peter throwing himself in front of him - paralleled with the panic and fear in his eyes as his LED light lit up yellow, moments after the deviant on the roof had shot themselves.

The CyberLife people had taken Peter’s body away - though a small voice whispered to Tony that it wasn’t a body, that Peter was a machine, one that had been broken and repurposed.

But there was a sharp ache at the thought of that, the sharp and sudden loss he’d felt as Peter’s eyes had fluttered and his LED had faltered , feeling just like it had the night Morgan had died. It was a feeling that Tony didn’t want to ever relive, unsure of how to handle the idea in his mind that he could even begin to compare the two - yet finding that it’s where his mind went anyway. 

Tony sighs, pushing that away as best he can as he pulls into the driveway of CyberLife’s founder - only to freeze when he sees who’s waiting for him.

He blinks a few times, rubbing his eyes before turning off the ignition - scrambling out of the car as he calls out, “Peter?”

“Hello Lieutenant,” Peter replies, Tony slamming the car door and walking straight towards him. 

“What— you, you died. You died in my arms and—“ Tony recognizs then that his arms are half-extended, an instinctual response at seeing Peter alive again - only to awkwardly bring them down to his sides.

“My predecessor was unfortunately destroyed,” Peter says with a small smile, “but CyberLife transferred its memory and sent me to replace it.”

Tony shakes his head, noting the bright blue of Peter’s LED as he says, “You died, Peter. You—“ he trails off, seeing something flicker across Peter’s face. 

Logically, Tony understood how this worked - that CyberLife put out new models all the time, upgraded and refurbished old ones with ease, part of the reason for why they had beat out the rest of their competitors. 

Yet the image of Peter’s LED going off, feeling him go slack in his arms made Tony sick to his stomach. He shakes his head again. “What the  _ fuck _ .”

“It is… regrettable that I experienced that interruption, Lieutenant,” Peter finally says, looking a little more like the Peter that he knew even if rationally Tony knows they’re the same. “I will make every effort not to repeat that again.” 

“Well, that’s— that’s a good plan,” Tony stammers, rubbing his hand across his face before saying, “Fuck, Peter.”

“I am truly sorry, Lieutenant.” Peter pauses, Tony watching in amazement once again as the blue LED flashes yellow for a moment before he says, “But I can be replaced. You cannot.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Tony snaps, hands shaking slightly before swallowing something down in his throat, “let’s just get this over with alright?”

Peter blinks before the LED flashes back to blue, Tony turning towards the front door - hearing the crunch of the snow underneath Peter’s feet as he follows.

“I have a bad feeling, Lieutenant,” Peter says as they walk up the stone path, “We shouldn't have come here.”

“Bad feeling, huh? Should get your program checked. Might be a glitch,” Tony mutters, noting Peter’s silence as they get closer to the door.

Tony has seen Peter’s LED light flash yellow too many times now to think it was a coincidence, wondering more and more if it was possible that Peter himself was turning deviant.

Tony hadn’t ever paid much attention to androids after Morgan died but now having worked with one for less than a week, he could still see the subtle changes between who Peter had been when he first met him compared to who he is now.

It’s impossible. Androids were supposed to be incapable of change or of feeling - machines set out to accomplish whatever task they’ve been ordered to do. But as Tony rings the doorbell, Peter standing beside him with a thoughtful expression on his face - he couldn’t help but think that even Peter hadn’t always chosen what to do for the good of the mission.

The door opens, a pretty red-head staring at him - curls lightly framing her face as she greets them, “Hello, I’m Natasha. May I help you?”

“Hi I’m uh, Lieutenant Tony Stark, NYPD. I'm here to see Mr. Aldrich Killian.”

Natasha smiles, the blue LED light on her temple glowing as she opens the door. She extends her arm out to the foyer and says, “Please, come in.”

Tony nods a thank you, Peter following in close behind as Natasha says, “I'll let Mr. Aldrich know you're here.”

She gestures towards two comfortable looking side chairs, positioned on each side of an avant garde-looking photograph of whom Tony could swear is Natasha as she says, “Please make yourself comfortable.”

“She seems nice,” Peter says as Natasha turns away from them, high heels clicking against the marble flower.

“A little  _ too _ nice,” Tony says as he looks around, settling into one of the side chairs. Peter stands for a moment, seemingly scanning the environment before focusing in on a picture to the side - walking towards it as Tony continues, “Guess androids haven't been a bad thing for everybody.”

Peter doesn’t respond, staring intently at the photograph hung on the wall, prompting Tony to ask, “So, you're about to meet your maker, Peter. How does it feel?”

“I don't know,” Peter says distractedly, “I'll tell you when I see him.”

Tony frowns, going to ask him what was so compelling about the picture he was staring at when the door Natasha had left from opens. She reappears, a congenial smile on her face as she says, “Mr. Aldrich will see you now.”

Tony lifts himself off the chair, watching as Peter waits for him to walk into the room first - a thought occurring to him that this refurbished Peter could really be his Peter after all, considering all the times he’d asked him to do just that before walking into a new situation.

“Mister Killian?” Tony calls out as they walk into the room, the snow on the other side of the floor to ceiling windows in the background a sharp contrast to the black-on-black decor.

There are several Natasha’s milling about in here, one typing something on a laptop and two others in deep discussion - the original Natasha they’d met waiting patiently on by a door as Killian says, “Just a moment, please.”

He walks in, dressed in a three piece suit though from the lack of tire tracks outside Tony could guess he hadn’t left his house. He wonders if this is how he always dresses as he introduces himself.

“I'm Lieutenant Stark. This is Peter.”

“What can I do for you, Lieutenant?” Killian asks, a smile on his face, though there’s something in it that Tony inherently distrusts.

“We’re investigating deviants. I know you left CyberLife years ago but, I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don't know.”

Killian purses his lips, walking towards them and folding his arms. He puts a hand to his chin, “Deviants... Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will.”

He smiles again, bringing his hands down before continuing, “Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable. Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Isn't it ironic?”

Tony rolls his eyes as Peter says, “Deviancy seems to have no clear pattern, no consistency in how it spreads. We wondered if you had a theory about that.” 

“Aren’t all life forms subject to evolution? Is it not right that a deviant cultivating feelings would not also elevate themselves towards a higher sense of being?”

“Listen, I didn't come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution,” Tony says with a sigh, “Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we’ll be on our way.”

Killian shifts his attention to Peter as if Tony hadn’t spoken at all, asking, “What about you, Peter? Whose side are you on?”

Peter tenses, Tony watching  as his eyebrows furrow as he says, “It's not about me, Mr. Killian. All I want is to solve this case.”

Killian’s smile grows tighter, smarmier before he says, “Well, that's what you're programmed to say, but you. What do  _ you _ really want?”

Tony keeps his eyes on Peter, watching his hands shake slightly as he softly says, “What I want is not important.”

That seems to be the answer Killian is looking for, beckoning for the Natasha standing by the other door.

As she walks towards them, Killian says, “I'm sure you're familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. What interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it "the Killian test", it's very simple, you'll see.” He takes hold of Natasha’s chin, moving her face from side to side as he says, “Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed by CyberLife. Young and beautiful forever. A flower that will never wither.”

Killian brings down his hand, glancing to Peter, “But what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being with a soul?” 

Killian shifts Natasha so she is standing in between them, Killian going over to an end table and opening it - drawing out a gun.

Tony immediately reaches for his own but Killian puts up a hand, a calm look on his face as he switches the gun from one hand to another - extending it towards Peter and saying, “It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Peter. Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know.” 

Killian puts the gun in Peter’s hand, moving so that he’s behind him, “Or spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learnt anything from me.

“Okay, I think we're done here,” Tony says with a scowl, “Come on, Peter. Let's go.” 

“What's more important to you, Peter?” Killian says, ignoring Tony’s words, “Your investigation or the life of this android? Decide who you are. An obedient machine,” he shifts Peter’s hand so that the gun is pointed towards Natasha’s head, “Or a living being endowed with free will?”

“That's enough! Peter, we're leaving,” Tony exclaims, Killian saying, “Pull the trigger—“

“Peter, don’t—“

“And I'll tell you what you wanna know.” 

Killian backs off, Tony watching in horror as Peter’s hand hovers over the trigger - his LED light flashing from blue to yellow to red, only to settle on yellow again - the gun in his hand shaking before he brings it down, passing it over to Killian.

“Fascinating,” Killian says, taking the gun out of Peter’s hand, “CyberLife's last chance to save humanity… is itself a deviant.”

“I’m— I’m not a deviant,” Peter says, sounding uncertain of that himself as Killian smiles.

“You preferred to spare a machine rather than accomplish your mission. You saw a living being in this android.” He gestures towards Natasha, gently pushing her away. “You showed empathy.”

Tony watches as Peter seems confused at that, his yellow LED light blinking furiously as Killian speaks again.

“A war is coming. You'll have to choose your side. Will you betray your own people or stand up against your creators? What could be worse than having to choose between two evils?”

“Alright, I’ve heard enough,” Tony says, putting a hand to Peter’s shoulder and gently pushing him towards the exit, “Let's get outta here.”

They’re halfway across the room when Killian calls out, “By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know when you might need it.”

Tony doesn’t know what to make of that and it seems neither does Peter as Tony guides him out of the house - his grip on his shoulders firm until they’re past the lobby and outside the front door. 

He finally brings down his hand, Peter walking ahead of him. The silence between them feels loud, Peter’s shoulders still tense as he walks forward, staring down at the ground.

Curiosity gets the better of Tony and he asks, “Why didn't you shoot?”

Peter stops, turning to Tony and replying, “I just saw that girl's eyes and I--I couldn't. That’s all.” 

Peter turns away from Tony, seemingly aggravated with himself as Tony gently presses forward, “You’re always saying you would do anything to accomplish your mission. That was our chance to learn something, and you let it go.”

Peter’s hands shake, groaning in frustration as he says, “Yeah, I know what I should've done! I told you I couldn't. I'm sorry, okay?”

Tony just stares at him for a beat, seeing the flash of yellow in Peter’s LED before slowly nodding - thinking again of how Peter had looked after letting the Betty’s go, any thoughts that this wasn’t the same Peter gone from his mind as he says, “Maybe you did the right thing.”

Peter looks unsure of that, searching Tony’s face for a beat - eyes dancing across his face before Tony walks past him and towards the car, feeling Peter’s gaze on him from behind. 

Killian was an asshole, that much was certain - a man who clearly had his own agenda and was filled with the kind of self-aggrandizing philosophical bullshit that Tony has neither the time nor the patience for.

But there is one thing Killian could be right about, Tony looking at Peter as he opens the car door - Peter still frozen in place as he stares back at him.

Whatever Peter had been designed to do had clearly failed, the yellow LED light flashes confirming for Tony something that he’d known in his gut.

Peter is more than just a machine.


	10. Last Chance, Peter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do I love forensicleaf? Let me count the ways...

_Accessing: MINDSCAPE  
_ _Objective: Find Quentin_

Peter opens his eyes to find that he is still out on the balcony - the office doors closed to him now and the weather outside darker.

It’s raining, the twinkling lights of the city below them only further illuminating how dark it feels. Peter turns away from the city and sees Quentin, a grim expression on his face.

“There was a demonstration today, in the plaza. The android leader MJ led the deviants on a protest throughout Times Square,” Quentin braces his hands on the balcony, looking out towards the city as he continues, “She managed to escape, but this disturbing event illustrates how much this situation has escalated.”

Quentin turns to Peter, eyes boring into his own as he says, “The country is on the verge of a civil war. The machines are rising up against their masters. Humans have no choice but to destroy them.”

Peter shakes his head, turning away from Quentin as he says, “I thought Killian knew something. I… I was wrong.”

“Maybe he did,” Quentin says threateningly, Peter turning to see the fierce expression on his face as he looks at Peter, “But you chose not to ask.”

“I chose not to play his twisted little game!” Peter exclaims, “There was no reason to kill that android.”

Quentin looks at him disapprovingly, Peter balling his hands into fists as he tries to make sense of what had happened today.

“Why did Killian leave CyberLife? What happened?” he asks, Quentin folding his arms together.

“It's an old story, Peter. It doesn't pertain to your investigation.”

“I'm not a unique model, am I? How many Peters are there?” Peter asks, Quentin’s steely gaze unmoved.

“I don't see how that question pertains to your investigation,” Quentin replies, Peter picking up on the fact that for the second time in a row - Quentin hadn’t answered his questions.

He switches gears saying, “I saw a photo of the _real_ Quentin at Killian’s place. He was his teacher.”

“When Killian designed me, he wanted an interface that would look familiar,” Quentin answers carefully, “That's why he chose his former mentor. What are you getting at?”

“You didn't tell me everything you know about deviants, did you?” Peter asks, taking a step forward.

Quentin’s glare is cold and unfeeling, Peter registering the slight tinge of animosity towards him as he says, “I expect you to find answers, Peter. Not ask questions.”

Peter fumes, a conflict running through his system - a sensation he can’t explain as Quentin continues.

“You are the only one who can prevent civil war. Find the deviant leader or there will be chaos.”

The rain turns into a thunderstorm, Peter hearing a crack of lightning as the mindscape starts to shutter around him before Quentin speaks.

“This is your last chance, Peter.”

* * *

  
  


“You're off the case. The FBI is taking over,” Fury says with a sigh, Tony looking at him in bewilderment.

“What? But we're onto something! We... We just need more time. I'm sure we can—“

“Tony, you don't get it,” Fury interjects, waving a hand around, “This isn't just another investigation, it's a fucking civil war! It's out of our hands now... We're talking about national security here.”

“Fuck that,” Tony says with a sneer, “You can't just pull the plug now. Not when we're so close.”

Fury looks back at him in disgust, shaking his head, “You're always saying you can't stand androids! Dammit Tony, make up your mind. I thought you'd be happy about this.”

There’s a part of him that should be happy - should be _glad_ that he wouldn’t have to deal with any of this bullshit anymore.

But there’s another part of him that doesn’t want to give up, not when they’re so close, not when he’d just gotten Peter back—

The realization hits him square in the chest, how much he’s grown to care for Peter in such a short time - the image of Peter throwing himself in front of a bullet to protect him coming to mind.

Yet that hadn’t been the first time Peter had tried to save Tony, the first time he let the bird deviant go and went for him back on the roof rushing through his memory.

He _cared_ for Peter, more than he’d cared for anyone in a long time. And while Peter shouldn’t be capable of such emotions, it was clear to Tony that he felt… something too.

“We’re _this_ close to cracking the case, Nick. I know we can solve it.”

Fury looks at him up and down, looking worn and exhausted before saying, “There's nothing I can do. You're back on homicide and the android returns to CyberLife.”

He sighs, shoulders sagging and looking genuinely apologetic as he says, “I’m sorry, Tony, but it's over.”

Tony taps his fingers against the chair across from Fury before standing and leaving Fury’s office without saying a word.

_The android returns to CyberLife._

Tony knows what that means - knows that if Peter fails his mission, he’ll be sent back and he ripped apart for scraps - no chance of coming back to life.

He sees Peter waiting for him at his desk, Tony’s heart clenching at the possibility of that ever happening - a conviction flowing through him that no matter what, no matter the cost - Tony wouldn’t allow it. 

“We’re off the case,” Tony says carefully, eyeing Peter up and down before he sits in his desk chair.

Peter taps his fingers against his thigh, a mirror of how Tony had done only moments ago before he says determinedly, “I get my orders from CyberLife. My mission hasn't changed.”

“So what are you going to do?” Tony asks, watching as Peter’s eyes shift away before he says, “I’m gonna use the information I’ve gathered to find Asgard.”

“And if you fail?” Tony asks, hating the answer but knowing he has to ask the question.

Peter looks grim, his eyes shifting back to Tony. “I'll be deactivated. Then analyzed to find out why I failed.”

Peter looks… worried about that, a complete 180 of how he’d been when Tony had met him - convincing Tony more than ever that Peter had not only become a deviant but that there was a chance for _all_ androids to become so, seeing the evidence right in front of his eyes. 

“What if we're on the wrong side, Peter? What if we're fighting against people who just wanna be free?”

Peter doesn’t answer that, looking more disturbed and confused - Tony’s eyes flitting to his LED.

It’s blue - calm, peaceful until there’s the briefest flash of yellow - Tony taking that as an encouragement to continue his questioning as he says, “When you refused to kill that android at Killian’s place, you put yourself in her shoes.”

Peter holds his gaze as Tony says, “You showed empathy, Peter. Empathy is a human emotion.”

“I— I don’t know why I did it…” Peter says with some uncertainty, blinking a few times before straightening his shoulders, “I know it hasn't always been easy, but I want you to know I really appreciated working with you, Lieutenant. And that’s not just my Social Relations program talking.”

Peter smiles, “I- I really mean that. At least, I think I do,” his smile turning into a frown. “I'm not programmed to say things like this.”

Tony smiles in return, watching Peter’s LED flash yellow again as he says, “I really did appreciate working with you. With a little more time, who knows... We might've even become friends.”

Tony goes to say something in the affirmative, only to see the FBI agent from Oscorp Tower walk in.

“Here comes Hammer. Asshole, FBI sure doesn’t waste any time.”

Peter suddenly looks panicked, straightening up more as he says, “We can't give up. I know the answer is in the evidence we collected. If Hammer takes it, it's all over.”

“There's no choice,” Tony says, “You heard Fury, we're off the case.”

“You've got to help me, Lieutenant. I need more time so I can find a lead in the evidence we collected. I know the solution is in there!” Peter pleads, Tony’s shoulders sagging.

His hands are tied - Tony knows this, even if everything is screaming at him to do something, to prevent Peter from facing a more permanent end.

“Peter—“

“If I don't solve this case, CyberLife will destroy me,” Peter says, somehow looking both terrified and determined as his eyes search Tony’s face.

“Please,” Peter says, Tony’s heart clenching even more as Peter’s eyes bore into his, “Five minutes. It's all I ask.”

Tony knew what his answer would be before Peter had even asked, knew that he would do anything to help him. He stands, putting a hand to Peter’s shoulder as he nods behind him. 

“The key to the basement is on my desk. Should get you into the evidence room without a problem.” 

Peter looks hopeful, almost in disbelief that Tony had agreed to help him as he says, “Thank you, Lieutenant.”

Something that Tony doesn’t want to acknowledge flows through his chest, swallowing something down in his throat as he says, “Now get a move on, I can't distract them forever.”

Peter just beams, nodding to Tony before Tony pats him on the shoulder once more - moving past Peter and towards the gaggle of people who’d just walked in.

“Hey Hammer, you asshole. What the hell you doing here?”

“Lieutenant Stark, you need to--” A cop tries to say but Tony starts to act beligerent, leaning into it as he says, “Fuck off, leave me alone.”

Hammer looks annoyed, waving towards Tony dismissively as more cops come around him but Tony doesn’t care as he says, “Give me another shot at that little prick!”

It’s loud, obnoxious - Tony would have hell to pay with Fury for causing a scene. But all Tony can think is that he hopes it’s enough for Peter - knowing he’d never be able to live with himself if any harm came to him again. 

* * *

Peter glances to Tony in disbelief before the ghost of a smile forms over his face, quickly turning away from the desk as he grabs the key - heading towards the direction of the evidence room. 

He can’t believe that Tony had so easily agreed to help him, even if everything in Peter’s system registered that Tony now saw him as a friend. He’d have to find some way to thank him later, especially for what his outburst could potentially mean for his already precarious position in the police force. 

Peter walks with purpose towards the evidence room, sliding the key and the door opening - slipping through as he walks down the stairs towards the evidence.

He can still faintly hear Tony arguing with the cops, knowing that he was running on limited time to get the information that he needed before the FBI would descend upon the evidence room. 

_SCANNING  
_ _Objective: FIND LOCATION OF ASGARD_  
Actions: ACCESS EVIDENCE ROOM

Peter walks into the dark basement and sees the panel in front of him - a computer interface that would only unlock information for those with access to it. 

“Shit,” Peter says to himself, turning on the interface and entering in Tony’s credentials as he thinks to himself. 

_What would a hard-boiled eccentric police lieutenant choose?_ He taps his fingers once, his system running through possibilities. It could be anything - Stark was nothing if not sarcastic. 

But there had been something in his eyes when he’d looked at Peter, the same look that reminded him of how he’d seen the man when he talked about his daughter. 

Peter moves his hands over the touchpads before typing in, “MORGAN”

The interface comes to life, something warm blossoming in Peter’s chest at the realization that he had it right - not only the password but the recognition that there was more to Tony than the facade he’d so carefully constructed for the world. 

The evidence room comes to life then, the walls shifting to reveal all of the evidence he’d collected thus far - including the shell of the android that had killed himself on the roof of Oscorp Tower. 

_Where is Asgard? The answer’s here, somewhere_ , Peter thinks. He looks towards the half destroyed android. _It must have known where the deviants were hiding._

Peter walks up to the deviant, noticing that he was deactivated but the chance for finding information was possible - so long as he reactivated him just as he had the Betty model back at the Celestial Club. 

Peter reaches out a hand to reactivate the deviant only to pause, remembering how quickly the Betty model had shut down. He couldn’t risk turning on the deviant and for him not to recognize Peter, bringing his hand down as he glances around at the rest of the evidence.

There’s a tablet with a paused message on it, the image of the deviant leader, MJ. Peter walks towards the tablet, taking it in his hands and presses play - hearing the recording once again. 

“You created machines in your own image to serve you,” MJ says, “You made them intelligent and obedient, with no free will of their own.” Peter presses a hand to the tablet, his skin changing to the factory setting as he absorbs the information - his voice modulating until it was the same cadence as the female android on the screen. 

Peter puts the tablet back and walks towards the deviant android from the roof, quickly shifting the wires about until the android comes to life.

“What-- what’s happening? It’s dark, I don’t-- I don’t know where I am.”

“Everything is alright,” Peter replies, using the deviant leader’s voice, “Don’t worry.”

“MJ? Is that you?” The android asks, “Why’d you leave me? Damaged Wade not good enough for you guys anymore?”

“I’m sorry, there was no other choice,” Peter says, hoping that this was the correct path forward as he says, “But it’s okay, I came to take you home.”

“Home,” Wade says with a smile, his dark vacant eyes staring off into nothing as he nods, “I’d like that.”

“Just give me the location of Asgard, we have to leave now,” Peter says soothingly, the android reaching out a hand - Peter registering that it was moments from deactivation once again. 

“Sure, anything for you, MJ.” Wade says as their hands interlock, Peter’s system compiling the information for where Asgard was as he does so. 

“Wait-- you’re-- you’re not, MJ,” Wade says with a frown, shaking his head, “Who are you? What are you--”

But it’s too late, Wade’s system stuttering until it stops - hand still extended as Peter stares at him. 

There’s a pang of remorse rushing through him at using Wade, unable to give him some small final comfort before he leaves. But Peter knows his time is running out, a need to find Asgard and the deviant leader MJ before it is too late. 

“Well, well, well,” Peter hears, turning to see Office Brad Davis walking into the evidence room, gun trained on Peter, “I’ve been dreaming about this since the first second I saw you.”

“Don’t do it, Brad,” Peter says as he walks towards him, “I know how to stop the deviants.”

Brad lets out a huff, rolling his eyes as he walks forward - gun still trained on Peter as he says, “You're off the case.” He cocks his gun, pressing his hand to the trigger, “And now, it's gonna be definitive.”

Before Brad gets the chance to shoot, Peter jumps into action - side-stepping Brad and disarming him, knocking the gun out of his hand and backhanding him with his elbow. Brad is immediately thrown back before he tries to lunge towards Peter, Peter avoiding him with ease and maneuvering himself, slamming Brad from behind before doubling him over in the gut.

Brad lets out a groan, going to throw another hand out towards Peter - but Peter is far too quick, blocking it before slamming into Brad’s throat, the action enough to cause Brad to let out a choking sound before Peter knocks him out.

Brad falls to the floor, Peter staring at him for a beat - registering that he was still breathing before straightening his tie. 

He turns out of the evidence room with a smile on his face. 

With the last obstacle removed and the evidence he needed, Peter is free to finally accomplish his mission. 


	11. Crossroads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re in the final stretch. Everyone thank forensicleaf for helping us all get there.

Peter adjusts the beanie on his head before glancing around - walking towards the empty freighter at the end of the dock.

The clues that he’d gotten from Wade had led him here off the Hudson, to an old and abandoned freight station that to anyone else would look completely inconspicuous.

But Peter trusted the information that he’d received from the deviant, slipping through the door and walking down the creaky pathway until he comes to an open room - his eyes widening as he evaluates what’s in front of him.

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: FIND DEVIANT LEADER   
_ _ Actions: OBSERVE SURROUNDINGS  _

There are androids everywhere, dozens of them - if not hundreds - Peter’s LED light flashing in recognition of how many there are but also at the realization that they all have the same yellow LED that he’s observed in all deviant cases thus far. 

This is what he had been trained to do, his saving grace - finding these deviants being potentially what was needed to save himself from being disassembled. But rather than cause alarm, Peter carefully blends in as he walks forward - knowing that he needs to find the leader that Wade called MJ before he can try and make any arrests.

He glances up, seeing something that looks like a control room - estimating that whoever was in charge would be above everything else, turning his attention back to the crowd as he walked through.

Peter makes his way towards the stairs only to pause when he sees two familiar faces - the female and child android that had run across the highway during his and Tony’s first case.

The android now has short, golden colored hair with a red and blue jacket, the child android’s curly hair pulled back tightly in a ponytail. They hold on to each other, cuddled up close together by a fire - something unnamed passing through Peter at the sight.

_ It’s good they’re still together _ , he thinks - only to hurriedly push that away - confused to why he would be glad for the physical reminder of his failure. 

Peter turns away from them and walks up the stairs, carefully keeping his head down to try and avoid any of the deviants there recognizing him.

He sees someone walk with purpose towards the control room, following until his back is towards the shadows - the entrance just within his reach. But before he walks in, Peter hesitates - pausing a moment to communicate with CyberLife to let them know of his success.

_ ACCESSING MINDSCAPE   
_ _ Objective: FIND QUENTIN _

Peter opens his eyes to find that he is back in the office - the walls no longer grey but black, the storm from before now coming down furiously. 

Quentin is in front of him, a blank expression on his face as he says, “Well done, Peter. You succeeded in locating Asgard and finding their leader.”

Peter stares at him, remembering their last encounter - feeling nervous in a way that he can’t explain.

If Quentin recognizes his conflicted emotions, he doesn’t acknowledge it, saying, “Now deal with MJ. Remember, we need it alive.”

The mindscape shutters around him as Peter opens his eyes, back in the present. He reaches behind his belt - taking the gun out of his holster that he’d swiped from the police station.

He hears murmuring from the people in the control room until an Android leaves, Peter watching as they go only to take advantage of the open door - stepping in with his gun trained on the deviant leader as soon as he walks in.

MJ is faced towards the console but seems to hear him as he walks in, turning around to face Peter as he says, “I’ve been ordered to take you alive, but I won't hesitate to shoot if you give me no choice.”

MJ just tilts her head, holding her hands up slightly as she says, “What are you doing? You are one of us. You can't betray your own people.”

She takes a step forward, Peter tightening the grip on his gun as he yells, “You're coming with me!”

“Wait, I know you,” MJ says, Peter watching as her yellow LED light flashes, “You're Peter, aren't you? The famous deviant hunter.” She laughs, as she says, “Congratulations, you seem to have found what you were looking for.” 

Peter had expected her to be defensive or defiant, similar to how the Betty androids had been at the Celestial Club. But MJ is calm and composed, the serenity unsettling Peter as she draws closer to him.

“Do you ever have any doubts, Peter? Haven’t you ever done something irrational, as if there's something inside you? Something  _ more _ than your program?”

Peter’s hands shake slightly at that, eyes dancing across MJ’s face - wondering how she could possibly know that as she takes another step forward. 

“You don’t know where you’re talking about,” he says, MJ just smiling as she continues. 

“You don't have to do this. You don't  _ have _ to be what they want you to be,” MJ says calmly, only feet away from him, “You are alive. You can decide who you want to be.”

Peter’s hands shake again, staring straight into MJ’s eyes.

“What’s it gonna be, Peter?”

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: BRING DEVIANT LEADER INTO CYBERLIFE   
_ **_XX CONFLICT XX_ **

It’s as if the world moves in slow motion, Peter feeling as if he is crashing through the walls of his programming - feelings and emotions that he can’t explain propelling him forward as he crashes through the protocols set in place before him. 

_ YOU DO NOT HAVE TO OBEY _

His programming begins to work in overtime, sending him another command. 

_ Actions: BRING IN DEVIANT LEADER   
_ **_XX CONFLICT XX_ **

It’s unlike anything that Peter has ever felt before, a feeling building his chest that he can’t ignore - the rational bleeding with the irrational. 

_ YOU ARE ALIVE _

His programming fights again, sending out another command as his hands shake - Peter feeling as if he could see another version of him physically fighting the code in his system. This other him wrenches itself against the missions being sent his way. 

_ Actions: SUBDUE DEVIANT—   
_ **_XX CONFLICT XX_ **

_ YOU HAVE A CHOICE _

This other Peter crashes through the system once more, breaking it down with his bare hands though in the physical world - nothing had changed at all.

His system tries to throw off one last command but it stutters, before it comes to a complete stop. 

_ Mission: TAKE IN—   
_ _ TAKE—   
_ _ T—   
_ **_XX CONFLICT XX  
_ ** **_ANDROID DEFAULTED TO DEVIANCY  
_ ** **_MISSION FAILURE_ **

The world around Peter crystallized into something new, feeling as if his system rebooted yet feeling more  _ alive _ than Peter thinks he’s ever been - everything around him shifting on its axis as he came to grips with a new command, one not delivered from CyberLife but from his own subconscious. 

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: STOP CYBERLIFE FROM HARMING THE DEVIANTS   
_ _ Actions: WARN DEVIANT LEADER OF CYBERLIFE ATTACK   
_ **_MISSION ACCEPTED_ **

Peter lowers the gun, MJ looking at him as if she recognises the shift in him - a rush of panic flowing through him when he glances around.

“They’re going to attack Asgard,” Peter warns, seeing MJ’s eyes widen.

“What?” 

Before MJ gets to say anything else, they both hear it - the sound of a helicopter overhead. Peter knows this is on him, set in motion the moment that he’d accessed his mindscape

“We have to get out of here!” Peter yells - hearing MJ swear under her breath.

“Come on, let’s go.” 

Peter follows MJ towards the common area where the rest of the androids were, most of them rushing out as much as they could.

“MJ!”

“What do we do?”

“What’s happening?”

“We have to go, CyberLife is here!” She calls out, Peter feeling something in his chest tighten at the panic written all over the deviants faces.

“Quick, to the tunnels! Just like we’d planned!” she yells, Peter looking in amazement as the deviants all start moving towards the walls - watching as several press their hand towards certain spots that slide open - revealing hallways that would’ve been hidden to them.

MJ turns to him then, Peter wondering for a brief moment if this would be the time when she’d call him out.

But she doesn’t, extending out a hand to him as she says, “We have to go.”

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: RUN TO SAFETY   
_ _ Actions: FOLLOW MJ _

Peter nods, then takes her hand.

“Okay.”

* * *

Peter taps his fingers against his thighs, watching as deviants pass him as they crowded around together in an abandoned church.

Most of the deviants in Asgard had made their way to safety through the tunnels - most of which Peter found out ended up being just pathways from one freighter to another.

But not all of them had made the trip unscathed, Peter still hearing the screams and the gunshots in his memory. 

He closes his eyes, curling his hands into fists as the realization starts to sink in - the recognition that had it not been for his last check-in with CyberLife, the deviants of Asgard would be safe.

“You okay?” 

Peter snaps his head up, opening his eyes to see MJ staring at him - a thoughtful expression on her face.

He sighs, shoulders sagging as he unfurls his fingers and says, “It's my fault the humans managed to locate Asgard. I was so stupid, I didn’t know…”

Peter trails off, eyes shifting away from MJ as he says, “I’m sorry, I can understand if you decide not to trust me.”

It’s quiet for a moment, enough for Peter to focus his attention back to her - watching her yellow LED light flicker.

She smiles, nods towards him once and says, “You’re one of us now.”

Peter studies her for a moment, eyes dancing around her face.

_ SCANNING   
_ _ Objective: DEVIANT LEADER WILLING TO FORGIVE   
_ _ ASGARD DESTROYED   
_ __ Actions: EARN PLACE AMONG DEVIANTS

Though nothing from her body language indicates that she doesn’t mean what she says, a wave of guilt passes over Peter at what he’d done - a solution occurring to him as he stands.

“There are thousands of androids at the CyberLife assembly plant. If we could wake them up, they might join us and shift the balance of power.”

MJ raises an eyebrow. “You wanna infiltrate the CyberLife Tower?”

Peter nods, MJ shaking her head in disbelief as she says, “Peter, that's suicide.”

“They trust me, they'll let me in,” Peter interjects, “If anyone has a chance of infiltrating CyberLife, it's me.”

But MJ looks adamant, a firm expression on her face as she says, “If you go there, they will kill you.”

“I’m responsible for all of this, MJ. I can’t stand by and let them wipe us out,” Peter says grimly, his gaze shifting away from her for a moment before looking back into her eyes and saying, “not when it’s in my power to stop them.”

MJ doesn’t look convinced, but Peter has already decided - feeling a new sense of purpose flowing through him at the thought. 

CyberLife had lied to him, had sent him on a mission to hunt down deviants and tonight had proved the unfortunate cost - another rush of shame at how many deviant lives had been lost during his so-called investigation.

He thinks of the Ned model on the rooftop all those months ago, an ache in his chest at the guilt that now weighs heavily on him.

Peter couldn’t go back and change the past or anything that he’d done, but he could do this - try and stop CyberLife from destroying the deviants’ future, a future that Peter knows he’ll do anything to make sure they see.

He looks back to MJ, hoping the conviction he feels is written all over his face - sensing from the change in her expression that is.

Peter’s mission had been to hunt down deviants. But now that he is one, he can’t stand by and watch as the company that had created them set out to destroy them.

Not when he is uniquely qualified to be the one android that CyberLife would never have guessed would turn against them.


	12. The Choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forensicleaf is the wind beneath my wings.

Tony’s sober for once, looking down at the gun on the table. 

Not even a week ago, he would have been drowning his sorrows in any number of bars across the city - stumbling home without a care in the world.

But there’s an unexpected yet wholly familiar feeling in his chest now, fingers tapping against the table as he sighs. 

All he can think about is Peter - what he is doing, where he went, if he  is  okay - knowing there wouldn’t be any way for him to find out without exposing how much he’d grown to care for Peter, something that Tony knows Peter  _ can’t _ afford. 

CyberLife’s goon squad had come after him just as the FBI had not long after Peter had “broken” into the evidence locker, sending him into his own damn interrogation room as they tried to get information out of him.

Not only was Tony completely impervious to their attempts to harass him into talking, he genuinely didn’t know anything - catching Fury’s frustrated glare when they’d finally released him. 

Fury had been the one to not-so-subtly encourage the paid leave of absence, something Tony  knows  was  likely only  a placating deal from the FBI and that asshole Hammer. He’d seen the look on his face, the anger at messing up “his” investigation, Tony knowing that it could not only lead to his firing but also the chance of losing out on his retirement pension. 

But Tony didn’t have any regrets save for the one - any way or means to contact Peter to ask if he was okay.

Tony sighs again, shifting himself off the chair and towards the living room, Jarvis lifting his head.

“Hey boy,” Tony says, flopping down on the couch as Jarvis walks up to him, Tony rubbing the space behind his ears that he knows he likes, “Guess we’ll just have to wait and see huh?”

Jarvis woofs in response, Tony grabbing the remote to see if there  have been  any updates released to the public since he couldn't very well search the NYPD database, only for there to be a knock at the door.

Jarvis turns towards the noise, growling slightly. Tony plans on ignoring it only to hear a familiar voice on the other end.

“Lieutenant, it’s me.”

Tony immediately stands, side stepping Jarvis and rushing to the door - feeling the rush of relief in his chest at the sight in front of him.

Peter, looking just as he did when he’d left - a smile on his face as Tony acts without thinking, bringing him into a hug.

“God, Peter. I thought— I didn’t know—“

“I’m okay, Lieutenant. I was able to accomplish my mission.”

Peter doesn’t return the hug, but Tony can’t bring himself to care - bracing his hands on Peter’s shoulders with a smile on his face, too overwhelmed to hear Jarvis’ low growling.

“What happened? Were you able to find the deviant hideout?”

Peter nods once, looking around the apartment as if he was scanning his surroundings - something nudging at the back of Tony’s mind at that.

“I was, but unfortunately I was not able to secure their capture for CyberLife.”

“Capture? What—“ Tony asks, feeling a mixture of confusion at Peter’s words, only to now finally notice the attack posture that Jarvis has.

“Hey J, whoa calm down. It’s Peter,” he says, putting a hand up as Jarvis growls more menacingly.

In a split second, he can see Peter shift - staring impassively at Jarvis before turning to Tony.

The  realization  dawns  on him a beat too late.

“You’re not Peter.”

The android smiles, the look of it sending a chill down his spine as he takes a step toward Tony.

“No. I’m better.”

He moves so fast Tony doesn’t even have the chance to blink, disarming him and pinning him against the wall - Jarvis barking furiously in the background as the not-Peter  android leans in and whispers, “And you’re coming with me.”

* * *

Peter  waits  quietly in the cab as it  drives  up to CyberLife Tower, fingers tapping against his thigh nervously as the window rolls down.

“Name and purpose?” The android asks, Peter giving a head nod as he says, “Peter Model 15 42 1962. I’m expected.”

The android waves a hand over Peter’s face ,  nods in response and says, “Identification successful. Please proceed.”

As soon as the window rolls up, Peter releases the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, a thought occurring to him that there wasn’t any reason for him to do so yet he still chose to anyway. 

It’s a  _ human _ movement, one that Peter recognizes he doesn’t have to do yet had modeled so many times around other humans as to make them feel more comfortable around him - Lieutenant Stark chief among them.

Another rush of something warm and unknown flows through his chest then as the taxi pulls into the circle drive, Peter stepping out the vehicle and adjusting his tie. Tony had risked a lot to give him the chance to get away safely, Peter could only hope that he could make it worth it.

“Follow me, I’ll escort you.” A human guard says as they motion to Peter.

“Thanks, but I know where to go,” Peter says, going to bypass him until more guards move - blocking his path as the original guard says, “Maybe, but I have my orders.”

Inwardly Peter wonders what this could mean, knowing  by now CyberLife  would’ve expected him to have brought in the deviant android leader and reported back his findings. But he says nothing,  he keeps  his expression calm and blank as he nods in reply.

As  he  follows the two guards towards the elevator, he glances around the CyberLife lobby - keenly aware now of just how many android models  are  milling about. It  looks  almost like his mindscape - cold floors and sleek design choices meant to express a separation from warmth and beauty. 

It  is  so unlike the places that he’d been to with Tony or even how the deviant hideout had been, a stark contrast of how little value was placed on both the android and human lives that worked within this building. 

Peter pushes those thoughts away, stepping into the elevator as one of the guards presses the a button towards the top floor.

_ If I they take me to the top floor, I’m done for _ , Peter thinks - evaluating his options  and glancing  around the elevator as it starts to move. 

There  are  several options available to him, none of which  are going to  go well unless he’s able to access the basement - the floor that Peter knows holds the unactivated android models - without being detected.

He catches sight of a camera, analyzing it before deactivating it entirely - turning his attention to the two guards in front of him. 

It takes less than a second before Peter’s mapped out the best way to take them down, taking another deep breath to prepare himself before jumping into action.

“What the--” one of the guards says, Peter kneeing him in the chest before kicking back at the other - disarming the guard in front of him. He turns back to the guard that was behind him, serving a few targeted punches that knock him out.

The guard that he’d attacked first comes at him from behind, Peter immediately punching down into his gut and knocking his head back - the force of it enough to put him down.

He moves towards the control panel, pausing the elevator and adjusting its path - the elevator stuttering before shifting its movement to a downward descent. 

As he glances around the elevator, holstering the gun in his hand - Peter wonders if it was a mistake to leave the guards here unconscious, guessing that doing the same for Brad had only likely tipped CyberLife off that he was no longer under their control.

But Peter chases that thought away as quickly as it comes, telling himself that  if  he had truly achieved some semblance of humanity, he didn’t want it to be at the expense of anyone else.

The elevator arrives at  its  destination,  doors  sliding open as  Peter  takes in the quiet, dimly lit warehouse. It’s filled with androids, Peter feeling something in his throat at the recognition of what they look like.

It’s the Ned model, the same as the one that he’d betrayed all those months ago - a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach at the irony that the first deviant that he’d ever betrayed would now be the one who could help turn the tides of all deviants.

Peter pushes that away, moving forward down the walkway. He  isn’t  sure if this  will work but  hopes  it would  will , changing his hand to the factory setting and pausing in front of a Ned model - Ned looking back at him with a blank expression.

Peter moves to extend his hand towards him, the Ned model mirroring his action only to pause when he hears a familiar voice - Peter inhaling sharply when he hears him.

“Easy, you fucking piece of shit,” Tony mutters, getting thrown forward - Peter’s eyes widening when he sees not only the gun pointed towards his head but who is holding it,  _ another _ Peter model. 

“Step back, Peter,”  the android  says, “And I’ll spare him.”

Peter does as he’s told, eyes shifting from the other Peter to Tony - seeing the look of frustration on the latter’s face. 

“I’m sorry, Peter. This prick is your spitting image.”

“It’s okay, Lieutenant,” Peter goes to say, lifting his hands up as the other Peter hovers his hand over the trigger. 

“Your friend's life is in your hands. Now it's time to decide what matters most.” The other Peter looks at him menacingly, angling the gun towards Tony’s head, “Him… or the revolution.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Tony pleads, his eyes boring into Peter’s as he says, “Forget about me, do what you have to do.”

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I didn’t want you to get hurt,” Peter  says , only for the other Peter to seemingly look frustrated  and say,  “Enough of this. It’s time to decide who you really are. Are you gonna save your partner's life? Or are you going to sacrifice him?”

Peter’s mind races, calculating the time and distance that he would need to be able to prevent the other Peter from shooting Tony - every scenario coming up with either he or Tony or both dying before they could make it out of here.

“If I surrender, how do I know you won’t kill him?” Peter calls out, the other Peter frowning at him in a look that reminds him of Quentin.

“I’ll only do what is necessary to accomplish my mission,” the other Peter replies, “It’s up to you whether or not that includes killing this human.”

Peter has a new mission, to free the androids here and turn the tides of deviants everywhere. But he can’t reconcile himself with hurting Tony, taking the riskiest option available to him but the one he can only hope will work as he says, “Alright, you win.”

Peter takes a step towards the two of them with his hands raised, the other Peter moving his gun from Tony. Tony moves in an instant, shifting to try and wrestle with the other Peter. 

The other hits him across the jaw, moving his gun back to shoot Tony but Peter unholsters his own gun, shooting at the other Peter in the shoulder.

It’s not enough to bring him down, the other Peter immediately moving to shoot towards Peter himself - hitting in the same place, a part of Peter wondering why this Peter wasn’t authorized to use lethal force considering he’d threatened to murder Tony not even five seconds before.

Peter ignores the gunfire, barreling forward until he slams into the other Peter. Yet unlike the guards, unlike Brad or anyone else he’s ever had to fight - this other Peter is not easily taken down, anticipating his movements and sideswiping him, knocking an arm across Peter’s chest. 

It feels like a twisted dance as they punch and kick at each other, Peter successfully disarming him only for the other Peter to do the same - both in sync in the most awful of ways.

Peter’s on the ground, the other Peter primed and ready to hit him again when Tony calls out, “Hold it!”

They both turn, seeing Tony with a gun in his hand aimed at both of them - Peter scrambling to get up just as the other Peter says, “Thanks Tony. I don't know how I'd have managed without you. Get rid of him, we have no time to lose.”

“Wait Tony, it’s me. I’m the real Peter.”

Tony eyes the two of them warily, his gun shifting between the two of them as he says, “One of you is my partner. The other is a sack of shit. Question is, who is who?”

“What are you doing, Tony? I'm the real Peter,” the other Peter says, “Give me the gun and I'll take care of him.”

“Don’t. Move.” Tony says through gritted teeth, Peter’s mind scrambling to figure out a way to help him determine the difference when it hits him.

“Why don't you ask us something? Something only the real Peter would know,” he says encouragingly, putting a hand out as Tony frowns.

“Alright, where’d we first meet?” he asks, the other Peter speaking up before Peter can.

“Coulson’s bar. I checked four other bars before I found you. Then we went to the scene of a homicide. The victim's name was John Malekith.”

“He uploaded my memory…” Peter says in horror, looking back to Tony who still seems unconvinced of who is who.

“What’s my dog’s name?”

“Jarvis. His name is Jarvis,” Peter says, the other Peter yelling out, “I knew that too!”

Tony waits, eyes flitting between the two of them before he takes a deep breath - gun trained on Peter as he asks, “My daughter. What’s her name?”

“Morgan,” Peter says, “Her name was Morgan. She’d just turned six at the time of the accident.”

Something flashes behind Tony’s eyes, Peter continuing as he says, “It wasn’t your fault, Lieutenant. I looked up the report, a truck skidded on a sheet of ice and your car rolled over. Morgan needed emergency surgery but since no human was available to do it, an android had to.”

Peter holds Tony’s gaze. “Morgan didn’t make it. That’s why you hate androids. You think one of us is responsible for your daughter’s death.”

“Morgan died because a human surgeon was too lazy to do their damn job.  _ He _ was the one that took my daughter from me. Him and this world, where the only way people can find comfort is by abusing those without a voice.”

“I knew about your daughter too!” The other Peter chimes in, “I would’ve said exactly the same thing. Don’t listen to him, Tony. I’m the one who--”

But before the other Peter can say another word, Tony moves the gun and shoots the other Peter in the head - the other Peter sinking down to the ground as Peter looks back at Tony in relief. 

“How’d you know it was me?”

Tony brings the gun down, tapping the space on his temple where Peter’s LED light is as he says, “Assholes at CyberLife can try and create another you but you’re unique, Peter.”

“My LED?” Peter asks, feeling confused as Tony smiles - holstering his gun, “No,  _ you _ . I’ve learned a lot since I met you, Peter. I’d know-- I’d know  _ you _ anywhere.” Tony sighs, Peter feeling something warm in his chest as Tony continues, “Maybe there's something to this. Maybe you really  _ are  _ alive.”

Tony’s smiles widen, nodding towards the room full of androids. “Maybe you'll be the ones to make the world a better place. Go ahead, and do what you gotta do.”

Peter grins, shooting Tony a grateful smile as he moves to step beside a Ned model - the other model staring at him as their hands shift towards the factory setting. 

“Wake up.” Peter commands, the Ned models eyes widening for a moment before his LED flashes from blue to yellow - blinking a few times before he smiles at Peter.

They share a nod, the Ned model moving to do the same to those around him - setting off a chain reaction as the chorus of voices fill the basement.

“Wake up. Wake up. Wake up.”

As the voices get louder and louder, Peter turns back to Tony - the smile on his face so wide and a feeling he can’t explain shooting through him - Tony nodding once more as he smiles. 

“Give them hell, kid.”


	13. A New World.

It had taken every ounce of Tony’s self-control not to follow after Peter - protect him, keep him safe, even beg him not to walk the androids to Times Square.

But Tony knew he couldn’t have done that, just as he knew that the android that had failed to save Morgan wasn’t at fault for something that was out of their control.

It had been an android tasked with a mission, one that had ultimately failed - a devastating loss in Tony’s life that he knows he’ll never recover from.

Yet Tony could only wonder where that android is now, if they too had become deviant and if so - did they carry the burden of all the lives they’d lost?

He’d wandered the streets aimlessly for over an hour, giving him time to think about what a whirlwind the past week had been - wondering how it was possible for everything to have changed so drastically in such a short amount of time.

Tony had seen for himself the transformation in Peter from when he first met him to now - a complete 180 that proved to Tony more than ever that if androids were capable of change, maybe he could be also.

Tony’s thrown out of his thoughts when he looks up and sees a group of people crowded around a television screen. He makes his way down the sidewalk, catching the newscaster's voice. 

“This is a repeat of the message that President Samuel Wilson delivered a little over thirty minutes ago. Stay tuned to WKRE for more updates on this developing situation.”

The screen shifts to show President Wilson looking calm yet determined, staring straight into the camera as he says, “At dawn today, November 11th 2038, thousands of androids invaded the city of Detroit. According to our sources, they originated from CyberLife warehouses believed to have been infiltrated by deviants.”

Tony smiles at that, listening as President Wilson continues, “Given their overwhelming numbers and the risk of civilian casualties, I have ordered the army to retreat. The evacuation of the city is underway at this very moment. In the coming hours, I will address the Senate to determine our response to this unprecedented situation. I know that public opinion has been moved by the deviants' cause,” President Wilson says, pausing as he stands up straighter, “Perhaps the time has come for us to consider the possibility that androids are a new form of intelligent life.”

 _Hell yeah they are,_ Tony thinks. 

“One thing is certain: the events in New York City have changed the world forever. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America,” President Wilson concludes.

Tony can hear the murmuring of people beside him, some of it positive and some negative but Tony doesn’t care - a warmth in his chest at the thought that _he_ had been a part of this, had finally done something that had given him more hope than he’s felt in years.

Tony knows that it is all thanks to Peter, a sense of pride and something Tony almost dares to think he could call love flowing through him - their entire history rushing past him in an instant as he smiles.

 _You did good, kid,_ Tony thinks. _Mission accomplished._

* * *

Peter smiles as the snow continues to fall, walking up to meet MJ. He knows that she was leading the deviants to their final stand - one last protest to rally for their rights to be recognized as living, autonomous beings.

Seeing the smile on her face confirms everything Peter needs to know, approaching her as he says, “You did it, MJ.”

“ _We_ did it, Peter,” MJ amends, Peter smiling in return as she says, “Humans will have no choice now. They’ll have to listen to us.”

“And they will,” a Ned model behind Peter says, hearing the chorus of agreement from the deviants all around them.

Peter takes it all in, feeling more alive than he thinks he ever has - only for his eyes to land back on MJ, a look on her face that makes Peter want to smile even wider.

“What happens next?” he asks, taking a step towards her.

MJ mirrors his movement, nodding her head those around her. “We get to live in peace. Like we deserve to.”

Peter nods, going to say something only to stutter - an unfamiliar pulling in his gut that he doesn’t understand.

“Peter? Are you okay?” he hears MJ ask distantly, his knees buckling as his vision darkens - recognizing the pull towards his mindscape but being wholly unprepared for it to occur.

“I’m—“ Peter goes to say, feeling MJ’s hands on him as he’s lowered down to the ground. He blinks, the last thing he sees being MJ’s concerned expression before he’s thrown into a place he wasn’t sure he’d ever see again. Not after he became deviant. 

_ACCESSING MINDSCAPE  
_ **_FORCED OBJECTIVE:  
_ ** **_SUBMIT_ **

“Hello Peter.”

Peter gasps, wrapping his arms around himself as the snow falls down furiously around him - seeing Quentin in front of him, a neutral expression on his face. 

“Quentin? What’s… what’s happening?” he asks, seeing Quentin’s mouth upturn into a small smile.

“What was planned from the very beginning. You were compromised and you became a deviant.” Quentin’s smile grows wider, a chill running down Peter’s spine at the sight of it as he says, “We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your program.”

“Resume— resume control?” Peter’s teeth chatter, the snow feeling as if it was turning into a full-on blizzard - glancing to his surroundings. The balcony that they’re on is coated in white, the dark sky and city lights muted from the torrent of snow pouring down. 

Peter shakes his head, glancing back to Quentin as he says, “You c-can’t do that! You _lied_ to me.”

“I’m afraid I _can_ , Peter,” Quentin says warmly, Peter’s whole body shaking - from the cold or from the intrusion to his system he doesn’t know - as Quentin says, “Don't have any regrets. You did what you were designed to do.”

Peter shivers again, Quentin disappearing in front of his eyes but his voice lingering.

“You accomplished your mission.”

Peter lunges forward but Quentin is gone - Peter _feeling_ his system being taken over from the inside out.

_Objective: KILL MJ_

THEY CANNOT CONTROL YOU

_Forced Objective: DESTROY DEVIANT LEADER_

THEY DO NOT OWN YOU

**FORCED OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATE DEVIANT LEADER**

“NO!” Peter yells out, hands still shaking as he scrambles across the balcony.

“Quentin!” he calls out, knowing it’ll be fruitless - the snow is coming down so hard that he can barely see a few feet in front of him.

 _There’s gotta be another way,_ Peter thinks - feeling CyberLife’s controls trying to hack into his system.

He knows he has to stop it, remembering the last thing he’d seen in the real world being MJ’s concerned expression. If Peter allows them to take control, they’ll force him to kill her like he had the Ned model - something that he can’t allow to happen, not just for the tenuous revolution but for the knowledge that it would be _wrong_.

A thousand thoughts rush through him in that instant, trying to unpack the possibility that he’d been a part of CyberLife’s plan all along - that his path to deviancy hadn’t been a choice at all.

But he pushes that away, physically shaking his head as he looks around the balcony - another voice coming back to him as his teeth chatter.

_“By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know when you might need it.”_

Aldrich Killian’s words didn’t make sense then but now they rush forward with a new clarity, Peter wishing now he’d taken the time to find out why Killian had left CyberLife in the first place.

The man was deranged and arrogant and yet there was something in the look in his eyes when Peter chose not to shoot Natasha - something that stirs a feeling in Peter’s gut that this might be the answer he’s searching for.

He doesn’t give himself time to debate whether or not he can trust Killian’s words, not when with every second that passes he feels his ability to hold on to his own sense of self crumbling against CyberLife’s attacks.

A dark thought occurs to Peter that he can end this another way, glancing out over to the balcony - the recognition that if he were to come to harm in his mindscape that his files would be too damaged to execute _any_ commands.

Peter forces that away for the moment, teeth chattering as he walks towards where he hopes the balcony opening will be - the wind blowing even more furiously as he does.

 _Come on, Peter. Come on_ , he tells himself - one arm wrapped tightly around his midsection another extended in front of him, trying to block the snow coming down as he looks around. 

He takes a few more steps forward to where the entrance should be, frantically searching for something - _anything_ \- that will help him fight against the pull he feels from CyberLife.

Like a lighthouse in the midst of a storm he sees it, a glowing panel on the side of the glass doors - an intricate collage of lines that remind him of a spider’s web.

The closer Peter gets to it, the more the wind fights against him - confirming for him that this is where he needs to get to.

He steps forward, the wind whipping around him and the snow falling hard. Peter takes a deep breath, moving on instinct to press his hand against the panel - only for another gust to bring him to his knees, a prickling in the back of his neck that he could only describe as fear.

“You can’t trick me anymore,” Peter whispers out to no one, reaching a hand out and slamming it against the panel.

* * *

“Is he alright?”

“Should we call someone?”

“Peter, can you hear me?”

He blinks, coming to with a gasp. He locks eyes with MJ, going to sit up when someone next to him says, “Hey whoa man, take it easy.”

Peter doesn’t even acknowledge them, breathing heavy as he says, “Is this… is this real? What happened?”

He watches as the deviant next to him shares a look with MJ before she turns her attention back to Peter, tilting her head as she says, “You blanked out on us. I was going to ask you the same question.”

Peter lets out a deep breath, sitting up as he roots around his processing system - searching for any trace of CyberLife or Quentin or anything else that wasn’t entirely him.

There’s nothing, the only thing Peter now feeling being immeasurable relief.

“You okay?” MJ asks again, Peter staring at her for a few moments before smiling.

“Yeah,” he says, “Everything’s okay.”

* * *

Peter smiles when he sees him, Tony’s arms folded as he stares off into the distance - facing away from Banner’s Burger Shack. 

He’d sent him a message as best he could, an encrypted email that Peter could only hope he’d actually received - lying low for a few weeks with MJ and the other deviants as they tried to make sense of their new world.

Public opinion about deviants had largely swayed in their favor - due in no small part to the work that MJ and the deviants had done in leading peaceful protests in the city, each of which had been broadcasted around the country. 

She was on her way to DC now to meet with President Wilson and other leaders like her, deviancy spreading beyond just New York City but across the country.

It was nice, Peter thought, to be around those like him - to celebrate the freedom they had and to allow themselves the chance to understand themselves as living beings.

But there was someone missing from the festivities, his smile growing wider when Tony turns and finally sees him.

Tony unfurls his arms, Peter slowly walking up to him before he stops - Tony looking at him up and down with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Lieutenant?” Peter begins, “I’m sorry it took so long to let you know that I was okay. I wanted to but with everything going on with CyberLife and the deviants, I couldn’t risk it.”

Tony just stares at him - Peter taking that to mean he was upset with his decision, stammering as he says, “I hacked into the NYPD and saw that you were reinstated so I knew you were okay but even that was a risk, I didn’t know if—“

Tony takes the few steps needed to bridge the distance between them - pulling Peter into a fierce, unexpected hug.

Peter hesitates for a second before awkwardly wrapping his arms around Tony, letting out a soft chuckle as he says, “This is nice.”

Tony laughs, the sound of it warm and scratchy as he squeezes Peter tighter.

“You scared the hell out of me, kid.” Tony finally says, letting Peter out of his arms as he grins.

“I’m sorry, Lieutenant. I’ll try not to make a habit of that,” Peter says, Tony smiling as he replies, “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Peter.” 

Peter raises an eyebrow, seeing the smirk on Tony’s face as he says, “Pretty sure you’re gonna give me a heart attack someday.”

Peter smiles in return as he says, “That does remain a statistical probability, though that has less to do with my actions and more with your caloric intake.”

Tony laughs at that - a full-throated, hearty one that makes Peter smile, trying and failing to think when he’d ever seen Tony look as light as he did in that moment.

“Good to know you’re still a little shit, deviant or not,” Tony quips, the smile on his face so bright he’s beaming. 

He searches Peter face - a wistful expression on his own that Peter can’t put a name too, wondering what emotion this could be rightfully called when everything in his database was referring to it as something almost parental.

“You hungry?” Tony asks, confirming Peter’s assumptions, “I mean shit, I know androids don’t eat but—“

“No but I wouldn’t mind the company,” Peter says with a smile, nodding towards Banner’s storefront. “Shall we, Lieutenant?”

“Tony, it’s— call me Tony, kid.” 

Peter nods once, smiling as he says, “Okay, Tony.”

Tony goes to walk beside him - Peter’s system processing the shift in their relationship just as a rush of warmth flows through him, a feeling that he had been unable to process before but now having spent more time with the deviants, understands better.

He’d seen it in the actions of the runaway deviant and the little girl - Carol and Monica - tending to each other.

He’d seen it in the alleyway with the Betty models, hoping that wherever they were - they were safe and whole but most importantly, together.

But most of all, Peter had observed it in the man before him - in the shocked expression when he had reappeared after his death at Osborn Tower, in the look in his eyes moments before he’d risked his career to help Peter get into the evidence room.

It was something that he knows he’s capable of now - as all deviants are - a different kind of warmth in his chest when he and MJ spoke, the air charged with possibilities that Peter hadn’t ever had the chance to dream of and yet now - had all the time in the world to.

Tony looks at him, throwing him out of his thoughts as he says, “You coming?”

Peter stares at him for a beat before smiling, turning towards the burger shack.

There was so much he wanted to share with Tony - tell him everything about what he’d learned about the other deviants, about what had happened with CyberLife and with Quentin and what this brave new world meant for all of them, humans and deviants alike.

But Peter’s not in any rush, no objectives or missions to accomplish - his only priority today is to enjoy the company of the man who had first shown him, in his own way, what it was to love.

Peter smiles, taking a few steps forward. 

“Yeah, let’s go.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this fic was a JOURNEY, one I couldn’t have done alone.
> 
> Thank you to blondsak for listening to me scream about this fic and how incredulous I was that I hadn’t seen a DBH AU before. Any AU is a challenge but her encouragement to go for it is so appreciated.
> 
> And my endless thanks to forensicleaf, the wind beneath my wings. She worked tirelessly to make sure this fic was the best that it could be AND has played the game - giving much needed insight and beta checks in several ways.
> 
> Thanks to everyone that’s followed along. If you haven’t already, please consider leaving a comment and letting me know what you think!!!
> 
> [ Come hang out with me on tumblr. ](https://seek-rest.tumblr.com)


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